Hawkeyes Set To Battle Indiana and Louisville

Oct. 12, 2010

Complete Release

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa field hockey team hits the road again this weekend. The Black and Gold will continue conference play at Big Ten rival Indiana Friday. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at the IU Field Hockey Field in Bloomington, IN. Iowa will then travel to Louisville Sunday. That match will begin at noon at Trager Stadium. Both times are central. It marks the Hawkeyes’ final regular season road trip of the year.

SCOUTING INDIANA
Indiana is 7-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play and is receiving votes in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Hoosiers are 3-2 at home. Indiana has lost to Penn State, Ohio State and Northwestern in Big Ten play. Indiana downed Iowa’s next opponent, Louisville, 3-2, in overtime. The Hoosiers are coached by Amy Robertson. She is in her 11th season as head coach. Robertson served as an assistant at the Iowa from 1989-91. Iowa advanced to the NCAA Tournament all three years, including two NCAA Final Fours.

SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
Louisville is 9-3 overall and ranked 10th nationally in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Cardinals are 5-1 at home. They will face Villanova Saturday before facing the Hawkeyes on Sunday. The Cardinals are coached by Pam Bustin. She is in her 13th season at the helm of the program.

SERIES HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are 13-5 all-time against Indiana and have won four of the last five in the series. Indiana edged Iowa last season in Iowa City, 2-1. Iowa and Louisville have split eight matchups all-time, with Iowa claiming four of the last five. Louisville won last season in Iowa City, 2-0.

A FAMILIAR PLACE
Trager Stadium, the home of the Louisville field hockey program, is no stranger to the Iowa field hockey team. The facility served as host of the 2008 NCAA Championship. The Hawkeyes, seeded fourth, fell to top-seeded Maryland in the National Semifinals, 2-1, in double overtime.

HAWKEYES IN BIG TEN PLAY
Iowa (3-9, 0-3) continued conference play last Sunday against Michigan. Iowa finished 3-3 in the Big Ten last season. The Hawkeyes are 211-79-6 against current Big Ten teams and lead every series: (Indiana: 13-5), (Michigan: 39-15), (Michigan State: 45-12-1), (Northwestern: 50-17-4), (Ohio State: 41-12), (Penn State: 23-18-1). Iowa has claimed 11 Big Ten regular season titles in school history and four Big Ten Tournament championships.

HAWKEYES ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
The Iowa field hockey team will appear on the Big Ten Network twice during the 2010 regular season. Iowa’s match against Big Ten rival Michigan was shown live last Sunday at Grant Field. The Hawkeyes’ match at home against Ohio State (Oct. 30) will also be shown. It will be televised as a same day tape delay at 5 p.m. Both times are central. In addition, coverage of the Big Ten Tournament can be seen on the Network. Iowa has won three of the last four Big Ten tournaments.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes fell to No. 15 Michigan Sunday at Grant Field, 2-0. Sophomore goalkeeper Kathleen McGraw notched seven saves in the contest.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa will play, or has played, eight of the current NFHCA top 20 this season. In addition, the Hawkeyes will face or have faced four of the teams receiving votes in the latest poll. The Big Ten Conference currently has four teams ranked in the top 20. Ohio State sits at sixth in the latest rankings. Joining the Buckeyes is Michigan State (No. 7), Penn State (No. 11) and Michigan (No. 12). Northwestern and Indiana are receiving votes.

IOWA AT GRANT FIELD
2010 marks the sixth year Iowa has played on the new Grant Field. Iowa owns an overall home record of 127-39, a conference record of 57-20 at home and an 11-2 record in NCAA Tournament games played in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have gone undefeated on their home field in six separate seasons, including a 40-game home winning streak. Iowa is 2-2 at home this season, falling to Miami (OH) (5-1) and Michigan (2-0) and downing Brown (5-0) and Ball State (2-0).

STAT LEADERS
Sophomore Jessica Barnett leads the Hawkeyes in a number of statistical categories. She leads the team with 43 shots and also leads the team with 12 points and six goals. Sophomore Geena Lesiak has recorded four assists to lead Iowa. Additionally, sophomore Kathleen McGraw is fourth in the Big Ten with three shutouts.

BEGLIN NAMED TO 22ND IOWA HALL OF FAME CLASS
Former Hawkeye Head Coach Beth Beglin was inducted by the National Iowa Varsity Club and the University of Iowa Athletics Department into the Athletics Hall of Fame. A member of the 22nd class, she was honored Sept. 5 at Grant Field at the conclusion of Iowa’s game against Miami (OH).

Beglin was the Iowa field hockey coach from 1988 to 1999. She led the Hawkeyes to 10 NCAA Tournaments, including seven Final Fours and runner-up finishes in 1988 and 1992. Beglin guided the Black and Gold to seven conference championships and the 1994 Big Ten Tournament Championship. She was named conference coach of the year seven times, Midwest Region Coach of the Year five times and National Coach of the Year in 1992. In addition, Beglin coached 39 All-Americans, 67 All-Conference selections, 16 U.S. National Team members and two members of the 1996 USA Olympic Team.