Oct. 1, 2005
The #14 University of Iowa field hockey team moved to 1-1 in the Big Ten (7-4 overall) after a dramatic 3-2 victory over ninth-ranked Michigan State here today.
“We did a pretty good job of executing our game plan today,” said Hawkeye Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum after the game. “Michigan State kept the pressure on all game long, and we didn’t let up, especially at the end of the game when they had several scoring chances.”
Several minutes into the first half, Michigan State had an opportunity to score on a corner shot, but Iowa’s Lissa Munley had a huge save to set the tone for the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s offense then rifled off four consecutive shots, but didn’t find the net until 20 minutes into the game. Sophomore Kadi Sickel put the Hawkeyes up 1-0 on a rebound score on a corner shot and the score held up until the mid-game break.
Sickel was in the right place at the right time again in the second half on another corner shot and her fourth goal of the season gave the Hawkeyes a 2-0 advantage. Iowa didn’t celebrate for long, however, as the Spartans cut the lead in half on a corner shot. Munley stopped Michigan State’s first attempt, but Ashley Pernicano found the net on a deflected shot. Minutes later, Michelle Huynh-Ba scored on another Spartan corner to tie the game 2-2.
With the score knotted and time winding down, Caitlin McCurdy came off the bench for the Hawkeyes with a fresh pair of legs. The freshman forward took a pass from a teammate, maneuvered to the top of the arc and slammed home the go-ahead goal to give Iowa a 3-2 lead. In the last six minutes of the game, Michigan State desperately tried to send the game into overtime, but each time was denied by the Hawkeye defense.
The Hawkeyes took 14 shots in the contest and had four corner shots. Sickel was a perfect 2-2 on shot efficiency in the game and McCurdy took five shots and scored once. Four other Iowa players also had opportunities to score.
Munley picked up her seventh win of the season and added four saves to her season total. She has netted 41 saves and has had 16 goals scored against her in 11 games.
“That was a big win for us today, and we want to take that with us into next week,” said Griesbaum. “We have to first concentrate on Northwestern on Tuesday before we turn the page to Penn State.”
Iowa faces Northwestern on Tuesday, October 4, at 3 p.m. The Hawkeyes will take on Penn Sate next Saturday in a noon contest.