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Nov. 4, 2003
IOWA CITY –
This Week
The Hawkeyes will travel to State College, PA, for the Big Ten Conference Tournament this weekend. Fifth-seeded Iowa’s first round opponent will be the fourth-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions. The game will be played Friday at 12:30 p.m. (EST).
Co-conference champion and top-seeded Michigan receives a first-round bye and awaits the Iowa-Penn State winner. Second-seeded Michigan State battles seventh-seeded Indiana Friday at 10 a.m., while third-seeded Ohio State will take on sixth-seeded Northwestern at 3 p.m.
Last Weekend
The University of Iowa field hockey team was swept at home over the weekend, falling to Indiana, 3-2, in double overtime and top-ranked Wake Forest 4-0. The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against Indiana, but couldn’t hold off a hard-charging Hoosier team.
Erica Nilsson cut the lead to 2-1 with 19:30 left in the game. Then with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Indiana tied things up with a goal off the stick of Jamie O’Pray.
The Hawkeyes earned a pair of penalty corners in the first overtime, but were unable to convert. In double overtime, the Hoosiers earned a penalty corner of their own. The Hawkeyes stopped the first rush, but Lydia Schrott slipped the ball to the back of the cage during a scramble in front of the net to end the game.
Against Wake Forest, the first seven minutes of the contest were evenly played, with the Hawkeyes picking up some quality scoring chances. After that, however, the Demon Deacons started to pull away.
The Demon Deacons got their first goal 17:34 into the game on a shot from Kelly Doton, then scored three minutes later when Doton fed a backdoor pass to Lauren Crandall to give Wake Forest a 2-0 lead.
Wake Forest took a 3-0 lead before halftime on a penalty corner goal from Ariel Meyers. Maeke Boreel was credited with the assist. The Demon Deacons added another in the second half by Lucy Shaw to end the scoring.
NFHCA Poll The Hawkeyes fell to No. 13 in this week’s STX/NFHCA coaches poll. Five of the seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 20, led by Michigan at No. 5, Michigan State at No. 6, Penn State at No. 7 and Ohio State at No. 15. Indiana and Northwestern were both listed as receiving votes. Once again, Wake Forest held down the No. 1 spot.
They Aren’t Cupcakes
The Hawkeyes have played a very difficult schedule this year, playing eight ranked teams. The Hawkeyes are 3-5 against ranked teams this season.
In fact, every team that has beaten Iowa, except for Indiana, is currently in the NFHCA top 20.
Big Ten Tournament History
Since the Big Ten Conference started awarding its NCAA Tournament berth to the winner of the conference tournament, the Hawkeyes have one Big Ten Tournament title, winning it all in 1994. Iowa also won the more informal tournament the Big Ten hosted in 1980 and 1981.
Iowa has a 10-8 all-time record in the conference tournament, second only to Penn State.
Big Ten Tournament Records
The Hawkeyes have made their mark in the Big Ten Tournament record books over the years.
Anne-Marie Thomas (1981) and Vicki Sax (1981) share the tournament record for goals in a game with four. Thomas also holds the record for points in a game with nine.
The 1981 Hawkeye team set a record with 13 goals in a single tournament, while the 1999 team tied a record by only allowing two goals.
Former Iowa goalkeepers Jessica Krochmal, Kelly Druely and current assistant coach Lisa Cellucci all hold a share of the most shutouts record (1).
Last Year’s Tournament
The Hawkeyes suffered a disappointing, 2-0 first-round loss at the hands of Ohio State.
The first half of the game was a defensive battle, with the two teams combining for only three shots.
Things opened up more in the second half, where Stacey Todd gave the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead at the 61:01 mark. Todd then added an insurance goal with less than a minute left in the game to seal the victory.
Good Against the Hosts
The Hawkeyes have had to open the Big Ten Tournament against the host school four times since 1996, and hold an impressive 3-1 record in those games.
Iowa defeated Northwestern 1-0 in 1994, Michigan State 3-1 in 1998 and Ohio State 3-0 in 1999.
The only time Iowa lost a first-round, Big Ten Tournament game to a host school was last season when they fell to Ohio State, 2-0.
Defensive Against Deacons
Junior Laruen Stiver once again made her defensive presence felt over the weekend against Wake Forest, where she picked up a pair of defensive saves.
Stiver had two defensive saves before this weekend – both coming against Wake Forest in the season opener (9/31).
Hawkeye All-Stars
The University of Iowa will have two representatives in the annual NFHCA Division I North/South Senior All-Star game.
Forward Pattie Gillern and midfielder Lindsay Miller have each been selected to play on the South team at the game, which will be held November 22 at the University of Massachusetts.
The Wall
Junior goalkeeper Barb Weinberg is enjoying another stellar season, and picked up her sixth shutout of the year two weeks ago at Northwestern.
That total leads the Big Ten and is a career-high for Weinberg, who had five last season.
So far this season, Weinberg has blanked Northwestern twice (9/17 and 10/26), Ball State (9/19), Temple (9/21), Penn State (9/27) and Southwest Missouri State (9/28).
Weinberg was a first team all-Big Ten selection last season.
She Just Keeps Scoring
Senior forward Pattie Gillern is having a career-season in her senior year.
The Medford, NJ, native has scored a team-best 15 goals so far this season. She has also added two assists for a total of 32 points.
Her season total is already better than the team leaders from each of the past three seasons. Tiffany Fodera led the team with 10 in 2000, Sarah Dawson led the team with 10 in 2001, while Gillern and Tiffany Leister led the team last season with six apiece.
Last Line of Defense
Freshman back Heather Schnepf has been enjoying an outstanding debut season with the Hawkeye defense.
The Medford Lakes, NJ, native has recorded a team-best five defensive saves so far this season, more than the entire Hawkeye team had last year. That total ties her with Michigan State’s Jessica Miller for the top spot in the Big Ten.
Defensive Minded
Sophomore back Shelby Roche has started every game this season, but doesn’t get in the stat sheet much as she has yet to attempt a shot in her career.
Roche has been solid in the backfield this year, and has picked up a pair of defensive saves. She is the only Hawkeye regular that has yet to take a shot.
Offensive Improvement
The Hawkeye offense is performing at a much higher level than last season, scoring 37 goals so far. Last year, Iowa scored only 26 goals all season.
Gillern in the Big Ten
Senior Pattie Gillern is tied for the Big Ten lead with five game-winning goals.
She is second in shots (94), third in the Big Ten in goals (15) and eighth in points (32).
In conference games, she leads the league with 29 shots.
Sisterly Love
Hawkeye ties always seem to run deep. This season, two juniors are the younger sisters of former Iowa all-Americans.
Junior Tammy Leister is the younger sister of 2002 all-American Tiffany Leister, while junior Sarah Dawson is the younger sister of 2000 all-American Natalie Dawson.
Hawkeye Ties
When the Hawkeyes face a Big Ten foe, more than likely they will be facing a coach with University of Iowa roots. Four of the seven head coaches in the Big Ten either played or was an assistant at Iowa before taking her respective job.
Michigan State’s Michelle Madison (1982-89), Indiana’s Amy Robertson (89-92) and our own Tracey Griesbaum (92-99) were all assistants with the Hawkeyes before being named to their head jobs. Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz played for Iowa from 1982-85.
The Head Coach
Tracey Griesbaum returns to the helm of the Hawkeye field hockey program for her third year.
She has done a good job rebuilding the Iowa program, recording a 27-15 record.
Before taking the head coaching job at Iowa, she was with United States Field Hockey. Griesbaum not only served as a full-time assistant, but was the head coach for the United States Under-21 Team. She led the Under-21 team to a second-place finish at the Pan American Junior Championships and a spot in the 2001 Junior World Cup.
Her work was good enough to earn her the 2000 United States Field Hockey Coach of the Year award.
Before taking the job with USA Field Hockey, Griesbaum was an assistant coach at Iowa for eight years.
The Assistants
Former Hawkeye Lisa Cellucci and Carla Tagliente will serve as the assistant coaches this season.
Cellucci was a four-year starter in the cage for Iowa. From 1995-98, Cellucci was a three-time All-American, four-time Regional All-American and a four-time All-Big Ten selection.
After graduation, Cellucci was an assistant coach at James Madison, where she helped the Dukes to a 15-7 record.
Tagliente was a four-time all-America selection for Maryland from 1997-2000, earning first team laurels her final three years.
She led the Terps to three ACC Titles and the 1999 NCAA Championship. She was also a two-time Broderick Award finalist and was a member of the U.S. National team from 1997-2003.
On Michigan
The top-seeded and co-Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines are currently 15-4 (5-1) and ranked No. 5 by the NFHCA.
The Wolverine offense is led by April Fronzoni, who is second in the Big Ten with 42 points (18 goals, 6 assists). Jessica Blake is second on the team with 24 points (8 goals, 8 assists).
The defense is anchored by freshman goalkeeper Beth Riley, who has a Big Ten best 0.77 goals against average.
They are coached by former Hawkeye Marcia Pankratz.
On Michigan State
The second-seeded and co-Big Ten Champion Michigan State Spartans are 13-4 (5-1) and ranked No. 6 by the NFHCA.
The Spartan offense has three players with 34+ points, Veerle Goudswaard (14 goals, 8 assists), Alexandra Kyser (13 goals, 9 assists) and Annabet Beerman (15 goals, 4 assists).
Goalkeeper Christina Kirkaldy has a 1.39 goals against average.
They are coached by former Iowa assistant Michelle Madison.
On Ohio State
The third-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes are 12-6 (4-2).
Vanessa Immordino leads the conference with 50 points on 21 goals and eight assists.
Lindsay Williams handles the goalkeeping duties and is fifth in the conference with 82 saves.
The Buckeyes are coached by Anne Wilkinson.
On Penn State
The fourth-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions are currently 15-5 (3-3) and ranked No. 7 in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll.
The Penn State attack is led by Timarie Legel, who is third in the conference with 39 points (14 goals, 11 assists).
Goalkeeping duties are handled by Annie Zinkavich, who has six shutouts.
They are coached by Char Morett.
On Northwestern
The sixth-seeded Northwestern Wildcats are 9-8 (1-5).
The Wildcat offense is led by Candice Cooper, who has 17 points on seven goals and three assists.
Northwestern is coached by Marisa Didio, who is in her final season with the Wildcats.
On Indiana
The seventh-seeded Indiana Hoosiers come into the tournament with a 8-9 (1-5) record.
The Hoosiers have a balanced attack with five players in double-digits in points.
In goal, Molly Pulkrabek is 7-8 with a 2.12 goals against average.
They are coached by former Iowa assistant Amy Robertson.
Series Records
Iowa leads the overall series against all six other Big Ten schools.
Penn State: Iowa leads 19-14-2
Ohio State: Iowa leads 37-8
Northwestern: Iowa leads 39-16-4
Michigan: Iowa leads 34-7
Michigan State: Iowa leads 38-7-1
Indiana: Iowa leads, 7-3