Sept. 21, 2004
IOWA CITY – This Week
The University of Iowa field hockey team opens up Big Ten Conference play this weekend on the road. The Hawkeyes will face Northwestern on Friday at 3 p.m. in Evanston, IL and Indiana Sunday at 1 p.m. in Bloomington, IN.
Looking Back
The Hawkeyes defeated Ohio and New Hampshire last weekend. Senior Sarah Dawson scored two goals and Lauren Stiver also scored and added an assist against Ohio en route to a 3-1 victory. Katherine Vella recorded her first assist as a Hawkeye.Dawson took center stage against New Hampshire, recording her first career hat trick as the Hawkeyes were victorious, 5-0. Dawson scored three goals on eight shots and Debbie Birrell added three assists. Barb Weinberg had her first shutout of the 2004 season.
Dawson Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Senior Sarah Dawson was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week after her efforts over the weekend. Dawson scored five goals in two games and blasted 14 shots. The Berlin, NJ native has eight goals and two assists on the year. This is the first time Dawson has received the honor. She was a second team all-Big Ten selection in 2003 and attended the 2004 USFHA Summer Residency camp.
NFHCA Poll
The Hawkeyes were listed as receiving votes (14) in the second STX/NFHCA Poll of the season.Michigan State is the highest rank Big Ten school, checking it an No. 4. Other Big Ten schools ranked in the top 20 are Michigan (No. 7 ), Indiana (No. 16) and Penn State (No. 17). Ohio State was listed as getting votes (27).
On Northwestern
Northwestern comes into the weekend with a 5-3 record. The Wildcats won their first four games of the year before losing three straight. Northwestern defeated Ball State 3-2 last Saturday.Candice Cooper leads the offense with 23 points off 10 goals and three assists.Sherri-Anne Nyberg is Northwestern’s goalkeeper. She is 5-3 with a 1.47 goals against average and .727 save percentage.The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 39-16-4.
On Indiana
Indiana comes into the weekend with a 6-2 record. The Hoosiers have recorded wins against Stanford, Ball State, Southwest Missouri State, Appalachian State, Lindenwood and Louisville. Indiana has lost to California and William and Mary.Lydia Schrott leads the team with four goals, five assists and 13 overall points.Katie Kanara has played the majority of the season in goal. She has a 1.39 goals against average and .767 percentage. Haley Exner has played 70 minutes and has recorded two saves on the season.The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 7-3.
Welcome to the Jungle
Since the facility was introduced in 1989, it has been known to opposing teams that to visit Grant Field usually meant leaving unhappy.Iowa stands 95-21 in the facility and is 11-2 in NCAA games played at Grant Field.Originally named the Hawkeye Field Hockey Field, the facility was renamed Grant Field September 22, 1991, in honor of longtime University of Iowa Women’s Athletics Director, Dr. Christine H.B. Grant. The Hawkeyes set a home attendance record October 24, 1993 with 1,339 fans watching Iowa defeat No. 4 Penn State, 4-0.Iowa has gone undefeated on its home field in six separate seasons, including a 40-game home winning streak.
Team Leaders
Senior Sarah Dawson leads the team with eight goals and 18 total points.With three assists against New Hampshire, Debbie Birrell now leads the team in assists. She has a total of three on the year.
The Big Ten’s Best
Senior Barb Weinberg has established herself as the premier goalkeeper in the Big Ten after being named first team all-Big Ten the last two seasons.
Down on the Corner
Iowa’s offensive penalty corner unit scored its first goal of the year against New Hampshire. Lauren Stiver scored off an assist from Heather Schnepf at the 41:06 mark to put Iowa up 3-0. The Hawkeyes are 1-32 on penalty corners this year.
The Only Brick in the Wall
All-American goalkeeper Barb Weinberg will anchor the Iowa defense this year, and she better be in shape, because she won’t be getting a rest for the entire season. Weinberg is the only goalkeeper on the Iowa roster.
Shooting Gallery
After the first three weekends, senior Sarah Dawson leads the team with 28 shots. Dawson has recorded six points on two seperate occasions this season. Dawson scored two goals and tallied an assist against Temple on Sept. 5 and scored three goals against New Hampshire on Sept. 19.
2004 Captains
The Hawkeye tri-captains this season are seniors Margot McMahon, Lauren Stiver and Barb Weinberg.
Family Ties
Hawkeye ties always seem to run deep. This season, two seniors are the younger sisters of former Iowa all-Americans.Tammy Leister is the younger sister of 2002 all-American Tiffany Leister, while 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 fifth year.She has done a good job rebuilding the Iowa program, recording a 45-29 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 return 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.