No. 12 Iowa Opens Season with 3-2 Overtime Win

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Aug. 25, 2012

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The 12th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team opened its season Saturday with a 3-2 overtime victory at No. 13 Wake Forest in the 11th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The match was hosted at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest in Winton-Salem, N.C.

“We weren’t matching up well in the beginning of the game,” said head coach Tracey Griesbaum. “We regrouped and made some major changes in the second half. It was a great sign of a mature team because they could have very easily quit. It showed a lot about their character that they could come back from 2-0 and take it a play at a time. It was very encouraging.”

The Hawkeyes were faced with a 2-0 halftime deficit, as Wake Forest received goals from Jess McFadyen (5:24 mark) and Krysta Wangerin (8:36 mark) in the first half.

Iowa cut the Demon Deacon lead to one less than two minutes into the second period. Junior Kelsey Mitchell put the Hawkeyes on the board by firing in a goal from the center of the circle at the 36:47 mark.

Sophomore Corinne Allen tied the score at two, scoring a goal in the 58th minute of action. The Gibbsboro, N.J., native scored on a rebound after the ball deflected off the Wake Forest goalkeeper, sending the match to the extra period.

Senior Jessica Barnett gave the Hawkeyes the win with a goal at the 81:09 mark. Barnett fired from outside the circle, but the ball grazed off Demon Deacon goalkeeper Kaitlyn Ruhf and went into the net.

Senior Kathleen McGraw picked up the win in goal for the Hawkeyes. The Atherton, Calif., native played the entire match, making four saves.

Iowa beat Wake Forest in its season opener for the second consecutive season, as the Hawkeyes downed the Demon Deacons, 3-2, in the 2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge hosted in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Hawkeyes close out the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Sunday when they face No. 2 North Carolina at 1 p.m. (CT) at Kentner Stadium. Live stats will be available via the Gametracker link on both the front page and the field hockey schedule page.