Oct. 19, 2004
IOWA CITY –
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This Week
The No. 15 University of Iowa field hockey team will travel to East Lansing, MI, for a showdown with the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans. Gametime is set for 3 p.m. CT.
Last Time Out
The Hawkeyes had another high-drama weekend, upsetting Penn State (2-1) in double overtime before defeating Quinnipiac (4-0).
Against Penn State, Iowa took an early 1-0 lead when Margot McMahon buried a shot on a penalty corner just over three minutes into the game. Sarah Dawson was credited with the assist.
Just a few minutes later, the Nittany Lions tied the game at 1-1 on a goal off the stick of Michelle Rigby. Karin Grap dished out the assist.
The game remained tied throughout regulation and the first overtime period.
With 10:15 left in the second overtime, freshman Kadi Sickel pounced on a rebound and buried the shot to give the Hawkeyes the win.
Against Quinnipiac on Saturday, the Hawkeyes dominated the game, out-shooting the Bobcats 27-7 and earning 13 penalty corners to the Quinnipiac’s four.
Sickel opened the scoring with a goal off a penalty corner with 13:16 left in the half. Debbie Birrell and Heather Schnepf were credited with the assists.
With no time left in the half, the Hawkeyes drew a penalty stroke and senior Lauren Stiver converted to give the Hawkeyes a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Iowa got a pair of insurance goals just four minutes apart. Freshman Caroline Blaum scored an unassisted goal, followed by Dawson’s team-leading ninth goal of the season. Sophomore Kara Zappone got the assist.
Senior goalkeeper Barb Weinberg made two saves to record her third shutout of the season.
STX/NFHCA Poll
The Hawkeyes jumped up five spots to No. 15 in the latest STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll.
Wake Forest once again holds down the top spot. Michigan State is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 5, while Michigan moves up a spot to No. 9. Penn State remains at No. 19.
Ohio State, Indiana and Northwestern were all listed as receiving votes.
Player of the Week
For the second-consecutive week, Hawkeye goalkeeper Barb Weinberg was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
Weinberg was honored after picking up a pair of victories over the weekend, including a 2-1, double-overtime thriller over No. 19 Penn State. She also earned her third shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over Quinnipiac.
This is the second time this season and fifth time in her career Weinberg has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She was a second team NFHCA All-American last season and is a two-time first team all-Big Ten selection.
Big Ten Conference Race
The Hawkeyes are currently atop the Big Ten standings with a perfect 4-0 record.
On Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans come into the weekend with a 13-2 (3-1) record and are ranked fifth in the STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll.
The Spartan offense is led by Veerle Goudswaard, who leads the Big Ten Conference in points (50) and goals (23). She also has three assists on the season.
The other cog in the Michigan State attack is Annabet Beerman, who has 29 points on 12 goals and five assists. Beerman and Goudswaard are 1-2 in shots during conference play. Beerman leads the way with 30, while Goudswaard is just behind with 29.
In the cage, Michigan State relies on second team all-Big Ten goalkeeper Christina Kirkaldy, who is enjoying another great season. The junior has a 1.04 goals against average and a .769 save percentage.
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series with Michigan State 38-7-1.
The Spartans are coached by former Iowa assistant Michele Madison, who is in her 11th year with the Spartans. She was an assistant at Iowa from 1982-89.
Miss Clutch
Freshman defender Kadi Sickel has crammed a career’s worth of drama into the last three games. The Plaistow, NH, native has scored the game-winning goal in each of the last three games, two of which were in overtime.
The streak started when Sickel tipped in a shot to give the Hawkeyes a 4-3 overtime win against the Michigan Wolverines. It continued in double overtime against Penn State, when she ended the game by burying a rebound.
Sickel then scored the game-winner in Iowa’s 4-0 win over Quinnipiac.
The last Iowa player to record overtime game-winning goals in back-to-back game’s was Pattie Gillern, who did it at the 2001 Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State and Penn State.
The Century Mark
The October 10 win over No. 8 Michigan was the Hawkeyes’ 100th win at Grant Field. Iowa is now 100-21 on it’s home field, dating back to it’s dedication in 1989.
Rollin’ Along
The Hawkeyes’ current six-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
It is the second-longest winning streak under Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum. Last season, the Hawkeyes won eight-straight games at one point.
Off to a Good Start
Iowa’s 4-0 Big Ten Conference record is the best start in the five years under Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum.
The last time Iowa started 4-0 in the conference was in 1996 under Beth Beglin, when the Hawkeyes swept through the Big Ten with a 10-0 record.
Leading the Big Ten
Senior forward Margot McMahon is currently the top goal scorer in Big Ten play. The St. Louis native is atop the conference list in both goals (5) and points (10).
Every goal McMahon has scored this season has come in Big Ten Conference play.
Dishing Them Out
Senior forward Sarah Dawson is currently leading the Big Ten in assists during conference play with four. Overall, she leads the team with 26 points on a team-best nine goals and eight assists.
Offensive Leader
Senior Sarah Dawson leads the team in all offensive categories with eight goals, two game-winning goals, six assists, 22 points and 33 shots.
Last season, she was a second team all-Big Ten selection. She has started every game in her Iowa career.
Position Change
Sophomore Kelly Slattery has moved from the forward line to the backfield to help bolster the Hawkeye defense.
Having a Stroke
At the midway point of the season, the Hawkeyes have already drawn more penalty strokes than all of last year. Iowa has earned six strokes in ten games, as compared to just three in 19 games last year.
Senior Lauren Stiver is 4-of-5 in penalty strokes so far, while classmate Margot McMahon is 1-for-1.
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.
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.