Nov. 5, 2004
EVANSTON, IL – The University of Iowa field hockey team advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-2 overtime win over Northwestern Friday at Lakeside Field. The second-seeded Hawkeyes will play the winner of No. 3 Michigan State and No. 6 Indiana tomorrow at 2 p.m.
With the score tied 2-2 and time winding down in the first overtime, freshman Caroline Blaum intercepted a Northwestern pass in the circle and ripped a shot to the back of the cage with just 38 second left to give Iowa the win.
The game was the school-record sixth overtime game of the season for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 4-2 in overtime this year.
“It was just a total team effort,” Big Ten Coach of the Year Tracey Griesbaum said. “We have such a small squad and we’re rotating people in all the time. From top to bottom, it was an amazing team effort.”
Just like Iowa’s last game against the Wildcats, Northwestern jumped out to an early lead on a pair of goals from Candice Cooper. The first team all-Big Ten pick scored her first goal on a penalty corner 20:45 into the game. One minute later, Cooper tallied her second goal on a penalty corner.
The 2-0 deficit apparently motivated the Hawkeyes, as senior Margot McMahon cut the lead to one only 29 seconds later with her sixth goal of the year. McMahon received a pass from Blaum during a wild scramble in front of the cage and buried the shot.
The Hawkeyes pressed the attack as the first half came to a close and earned a penalty stroke with no time left on the clock. Second team all-Big Ten selection Lauren Stiver converted the stroke for the Hawkeyes for her eighth goal of the year. Six of her scores have come on penalty strokes, where she is 6-of-7.
In the second half, Iowa continued to control play as it pressed for the go-ahead goal. The Hawkeyes out-shot Northwestern 5-2 and earned eight penalty corners to the Wildcat’s zero. Northwestern goalkeeper Sherri-Anne Nyberg made four saves in the half to keep Iowa off the board and send the game to overtime.
This was the rubber match between the two teams. Northwestern won a non-conference game, 1-0 in double overtime, on Sept. 24, while Iowa won the Big Ten contest, 3-2, on Oct. 29.