Nov. 15, 2008
EAST LANSING, MI – The University of Iowa field hockey team battles Louisville today in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes and Cardinals will square-off at 10:30 a.m. (CT) on the campus of Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes, seeded fourth overall in the tournament, arrived in East Lansing Thursday evening and enjoyed a practice and a film session Friday. Iowa is now ready for its first game since defeating Ohio State last Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
The Hawkeyes, ranked sixth, defeated the 13th-ranked Cardinals earlier this year during the regular season.
Iowa (16-4) won at Louisville (14-6), 1-0, on Sept. 28. Big Ten Tournament MVP Lauren Pfeiffer scored the only goal of the game off a penalty corner. The stingy Hawkeye defense controlled the game, allowing only four total shots and two penalty corners. Iowa accumulated 17 shots and 12 corners in the non-conference battle.
Since losing to the Hawkeyes, Louisville has won nine of 11 games heading into the tournament.
Iowa has enjoyed a nice streak of its own to end the season. The Hawkeyes have won five-straight games, including three in overtime and their third-straight Big Ten Tournament title. Overall, Iowa has defeated 14 of its last 16 opponents.
Saturday’s game will be played at Ralph Young Field. The Cardinals have played two matches this season at neutral sites, finishing 1-1. Iowa is undefeated this year in neutral matches, going 6-0.
Fans can track the action today on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the `GT’ link on the field hockey schedule page to get live scoring and play-by-play.