Oct. 2, 2007
Iowa City
This Week
The fifth-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team (9-2, 1-1) will travel to Evanston, IL, to play Northwestern (3-6, 0-2) Friday at 3 p.m. and Providence (7-4) Saturday at 2 p.m. The game vs. Northwestern will be a conference contest, while the game against Providence will be a non-conference match-up.
Northwestern (3-6, 0-2)
The Wildcats began the season 3-1 with their only loss coming to returning national champion Maryland. Since Sept. 8th they have lost five straight, including three shutouts. Northwestern opened Big Ten play with a tough schedule. First they lost to No. 7 Michigan State (4-0) then to No. 9 Penn State (5-0) and now they must face No. 5 Iowa.
This season, Northwestern has been outscored 34-13 and outshot 164-107 by its opponents.
The Wildcats are led by junior Alex Quinn. She leads the team in goals (5),assists (4) and shots (26).
Providence (7-4)
The Friars have a record of 7-4, including a 1-1 Big East Conference record. Last week, Providence was topped by No. 16 Louisville 2-1.
Providence has out scored its oppenents 25-10 and outshot them 164-89.
The Friars are led by freshman Julie Ruggieri who leads the team in goals (7) and junior Jessica Lane who leads the team in assists (8).
What’s Next Coach
“We will begin preparing for Northwestern and Providence on Tuesday,” Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum said. “We are expecting a battle with both teams.”
“This week, we will continue to focus on executing inside of our offensive 25 yard line, as well as our transition game.” Griesbaum said.
“Our front three need to be a more potent force on the field this weekend,” Griesbaum said. “We will look to them to produce some points for us against Northwestern and Providence.”
Last Week
The Hawkeyes bettered their overall record to 9-2, and conference record to 1-1 by defeating Indiana 2-1, in overtime.
Junior Caroline Blaum scored Iowa’s first goal early in the first half. In overtime, junior Lauren Pfeiffer scored the game-winner after receiving a beautiful pass from sophomore Jess Werley.
Griesbaum On Overtime Win
“We played an energized Indiana team,” Griesbaum said. “They played hard for 70 minutes.”
“Indiana has strong players in every line and we had to play a smart game to be successful,” Griesbaum said. “We were able to dominate in the statistical categories but we need to find a way to produce more goals. We executed some facets of our game plan very well and others were not up to standard.”
“It’s exciting to play at home on Grant Field and we will always be happy about a `W’.”
Any Individuals Standout?
“Jess Werley, Lauren Pfeiffer, and Meghan Beamesderfer each had solid games for us in the midfield and defense.”
Nice Record!
The 2007 Hawkeyes have started 9-2, the best record to open a season since Iowa began the 1999 season 17-2. The `99 team (19-3) were Big Ten Champions and ended its season with a 2-1 overtime loss to Maryland in the Final Four.
Pfeiffer Leads Conference
Junior Lauren Pfeiffer leads the Big Ten in shots (58) when all games are included. When only conference games are included, she is first in shots per game (5.50), points (6), and goals (3).
Munley Tops Big Ten
Junior Lissa Munley has recorded the most shutouts this season among the Big Ten goalkeepers (4).
Pfeiffer Keeps Scoring
Junior Lauren Pfeiffer scored the game-winning goal against Indiana. That marked the third consecutive game that she has netted at least one goal.
Pfeiffer leads the team with nine goals and has scored multiple goals in three games this season (Wake Forest, Michigan and Central Michigan).
Sharp Shooter
Junior Roz Ellis has a shot percentage of .462. That is the best percentage on the team, with the next closest being .286 by Lindsey Duffy who has converted four times on 14 shots. Ellis has recorded six goals on only 13 shots.
Three In Top 20
Three Hawkeye juniors are ranked among the top 20 in their respective statistical categories in the country.
Caroline Blaum ranks 14th in assists per game (0.64). Junior Lissa Munley ranks 14th in goals against average (1.24). Junior Lauren Pfeiffer ranks 16th in goals per game (0.82) and 19th in points per game(1.91).
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.