12th-Ranked Hawkeyes Blast Bears in Home-Opener

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Sept. 2, 2012

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The 12th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team blanked Missouri State, 10-0, in its home opener at Grant Field on Sunday. The Hawkeyes used goals from seven different individuals and didn’t allow the Bears to take a shot to improve to 2-1 this season.

“I really appreciated how we started the game,” said head coach Tracey Griesbaum. “That was something we wanted to change from last week and getting off to a good start was more on the forefront of our mind today.”

Senior Jessica Barnett got the Hawkeye rout rolling, as she scored Iowa’s first two goals. Barnett put Iowa on the board at the 11:55 mark after she rebounded her own miss for a goal. Barnett’s second score came during the 17th minute of action off a penalty corner. Senior Geena Lesiak and junior Niki Schultheis were credited with assists on the goal. Barnett has scored a team-high three goals this season.

Freshman Natalie Cafone pushed the Iowa advantage to 3-0 with her first collegiate goal. Cafone scored at the 20:45 mark via Lesiak’s second assist.

“I really liked how lively Natalie Cafone made the attack,” said Griesbaum. “She’s got a lot of speed and that was a real bright spot today.”

Juniors Aubrey Coleman (23:03) and Marike Stribos (29:41) added first half goals to give the Hawkeyes a 5-0 lead heading into intermission. It was the first goal of the season for both Coleman and Stribos.

Cafone opened the scoring in the second half for Iowa. The Fairfield, N.J., native blasted a shot into the far right corner of the goal after beating a Missouri State defender in a one-on-one situation.

The Hawkeyes stretched their advantage to 9-0 by scoring three goals within a five minute span. Sophomores Corinne Allen (49:22) and Dani Hemeon (53:31) and junior Kelsey Mitchell (54:36) all found the back of the goal for Iowa. For Allen and Mitchell, it was their second goal of the season, while Hemeon scored her first goal.

Stribos rounded out the Iowa scoring, punching in her second goal of the game off a penalty corner. Mitchell and Schultheis assisted on the play.

Senior Kathleen McGraw registered her first shutout of the season in goal, playing the entire contest. The Atherton, Calif., native, led the Big Ten with five shutouts in 2011. McGraw didn’t have to save a single shot, as Iowa outshot Missouri State, 35-0.

The Hawkeyes moved to 17-0 all-time against the Bears in games played in Iowa City and have now won the last 22 meetings between the two teams.

Iowa travels to Stanford, Calif., for three contests Sept. 7-10. The Hawkeyes face Stanford on Sept. 7 at 4:30 p.m. before taking on Pacific on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. and UC Davis on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. All three games will be played at Stanford’s Varsity Field Hockey Turf. All times are Central.

“Stanford is going to give us a whole different look,” said Griesbaum. “We have to digest today and be happy with a great win on Grant Field, but we have to shift gears for Stanford because they play a very, very different style.”