Oct. 26, 2004
IOWA CITY –
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This Week
The No. 14 Hawkeyes will finish the regular season this weekend with a pair of games at Grant Field. Iowa will play its final Big Ten game Friday against Northwestern at 3 p.m., then battle Southwest Missouri State Sunday at noon. Northwestern and Southwest Missouri State will play each other Saturday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Hawkeyes fell to the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans, 2-1, in overtime last Friday in East Lansing, MI.
Michigan State’s high-powered offense peppered the Hawkeye defense with shots throughout the game, but all-American goalkeeper Barb Weinberg was up to the task and kept the game scoreless through the first half. For the game, Michigan State out-shot Iowa 22-6, earning 12 penalty corners to Iowa’s three.
The Spartans finally cracked the scoreboard 5:30 into the second half on a goal from Veerle Goudswaard, the nation’s leading scorer.
Iowa jumped right back with some offense of its own, when senior forward Sarah Dawson buried a pass from Debbie Birrell to tie the game at 1-1 just five minutes later. The Hawkeye defense tightened up and kept the game tied through regulation.
The game ended 5:28 into overtime when Goudswaard scored on a penalty corner, the Spartans’ second in overtime.
STX/NFHCA Poll
The Hawkeyes moved up one spot to No. 14 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 (No. 9). Penn State (No. 19) hold steady.
The Big Ten Title Race
Heading into the final weekend of play, the Hawkeyes are in a two-way tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference with Michigan.
At 5-1, Michigan State is in first place by 1/2 game but is finished with its conference schedule. Iowa and Michigan are both 4-1 and can move into a tie with the Spartans by winning this weekend. Iowa plays Northwestern, while Michigan plays Penn State.
On Northwestern
The Northwestern Wildcats are currently 7-10 with a 1-4 mark in the conference.
The Wildcat offense revolves around senior Candice Cooper, who is the third-leading goal scorer in the Big Ten with 17. On the year, Cooper has 38 points. She was a second-team all-Big Ten selection last season.
On defense, the Wildcats mainly rely on Sherri-Anne Nyberg in goal. Nyberg has a 1.80 goals against average and a .714 save percentage in 15 games this season. However, senior Kelly Augustine has started the last three games in goal for Northwestern. She has a .677 save percentage.
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series with Northwestern 39-17-4. Northwestern’s 17 wins over Iowa is more than any other team in the nation.
Northwestern is coached by Kelly McCollum, who is in her first year.
Earlier This Season…
The Hawkeyes and Wildcats met in a non-conference game on Sept. 24, with Northwestern pulling out the 1-0, double-overtime win.
After a scoreless regulation and first overtime, Wildcat senior Candice Cooper scored the game’s only goal on a rebound in the circle.
The Hawkeyes were out-shot by Northwestern 15-14, and the Wildcats drew 10 penalty corners to Iowa’s nine.
Iowa put pressure on the Northwestern defense throughout most of the game, out-shooting the Wildcats 9-5 in regulation and peppered goalkeeper Sherri-Anne Nyberg with five shots in the first overtime.
Hawkeye goalkeeper Barb Weinberg made seven saves on the day, including three in overtime.
On Southwest Missouri State
The Southwest Missouri State Bears are 9-6 with a 3-3 record in the NorPac Conference.
The Bears’ leading scorer is Gabby Gomez, who has 22 points on eight goals and six assists.
In goal, Southwest Missouri State features Jesse Lininger, who is 7-5 on the year. She has a 1.60 goals against average and a .792 save percentage.
Iowa leads the all-time series 20-5-1.
SMS is coached by Dawn Porter, who is in her seventh year.
Weinberg an All-Star
Hawkeye goalkeeper Barb Weinberg was named to the 2004 NFHCA North/South Senior All-Star Game.
Weinberg, a senior, will represent the North team at the all-star game, which will be played on Saturday, November 20, 2004 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Getting Their Money’s Worth
The Hawkeyes have been showing their love of field hockey this season by playing a lot of it. Iowa has been in five overtime games, tying a school record set in 1994.
In fact, five of the last eight games the Hawkeyes have played have gone into overtime. Three of Iowa’s five Big Ten games have gone into the extra frames.
The Hawkeyes are 3-2 in overtime this season.
Miss Clutch
Freshman defender Kadi Sickel crammed a career’s worth of drama into a two-week span. The Plaistow, NH, native scored the game-winning goal in three consecutive 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.
Streak Snapped
The Hawkeyes’ loss to Michigan State snapped a six-game winning streak.
It was the second-longest winning streak under Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum. Last season, the Hawkeyes won eight-straight games at one point.
Double Digits
Senior forward Sarah Dawson’s goal against Michigan State last weekend was her tenth of the season. It is the second-time in her career she has hit double digits, having scored ten as a freshman.
The 800 Club
Senior goalkeeper Barb Weinberg is leading the Big Ten Conference in save percentage at .809. She is the only goalkeeper in the Big Ten to post a save percentage over .800.
Big Ten Scoring
Senior forward Margot McMahon is currently tied for third in Big Ten with five goals.. The St. Louis native is also fourth in total points with 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 28 points on a team-best ten 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
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.