No. 11 Iowa Set for Final Regular Season Road Trip

Oct. 10, 2012

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK
The 11th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team travels to University Park, Pa., this weekend for its final road trip of the regular season. The Hawkeyes face No. 15 Drexel on Friday at 5 p.m., before squaring off against seventh-ranked Penn State on Sunday at 11 a.m. Both games will be played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Both times are Central.

ON THE NET
Fans can follow the Hawkeyes with live stats (Gametracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “Gametracker” link found on both the front page and the field hockey schedule page.

SCOUTING DREXEL
Drexel owns a 10-4 (3-1 CAA) record this season. The Dragons have played one neutral site game, defeating UC Davis, 6-0, on Sept. 5. Drexel’s previous three games have been against ranked opponents — No. 15 New Hampshire (W, 3-2 OT), No. 21 William and Mary (W, 4-3), and No. 10 Old Dominion (L, 2-4). Senior Amanda Fleischut and junior Lindsay McArdle lead the Dragons offensive attack. Fleischut leads the team in points (22), goals (8), and assists (6), while McArdle is second in all three categories with 17 points, seven goals, and three assists. Sophomore Jantien Gunter has started all 14 games in goal for Drexel, posting a 1.56 goals against average, a .758 save percentage, and four shutouts. The Dragons are coached by Denise Zelanak, who is in her 18th season as Drexel’s head coach.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State enters Sunday’s game with an 11-3 (2-1 Big Ten) record, including an 8-1 home record. The Nittany Lions have won five straight at home, outscoring their opponents 24-6. Penn State boasts the Big Ten’s best offense, ranking first the league in scoring average (4.42), shots per game (22.57), goals scored per game (4.43), and penalty corners (129). PSU’s marks in scoring average and penalty corners rank third nationally, while its goals per game average ranks fourth. Senior Kelsey Amy paces the Nittany Lion attack in goals (16), assists (7), and points (39). The 2011 NFHCA first-team All-American ranks second in the Big Ten in goals per game (1.14) and points per game (2.79), ranking fifth and sixth nationally. Penn State’s defense is led by All-American Ayla Halus, who has registered a 1.83 goals against average and a .712 save percentage this season. Penn State is coached by Charlene Morett, who is in her 26th season at the helm of the program.

HAWKEYE VS. DRAGONS HISTORY
Iowa and Drexel will meet for the first time in the program’s history Friday. The Hawkeyes are 16-16-2 all-time against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foes, including a 9-9-2 mark in neutral site games.

HAWKEYE VS. NITTANY LION HISTORY
The Hawkeyes own a 23-19-1 record in their all-time series with Penn State. The Nittany Lions downed Iowa, 3-0, when the two teams last met on Sept. 25, 2011, at Grant Field. The Hawkeyes last defeated Penn State on Oct. 18, 2009, scoring a 1-0 victory at Grant Field. Iowa is 5-11 all-time in games played in University Park, last winning Oct. 15, 2004 (2-1, 2OT).

BIG TEN’S ONLY UNBEATEN
The Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten team without a conference loss this season, recording a 3-0 record. Iowa has registered wins over Michigan State, Ohio State, and Indiana. It is the first time under head coach Tracey Griesbaum that the Hawkeyes have started 3-0 in conference play. Iowa last began league play 3-0 in 1999.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Hawkeyes will make their final road trip of the regular season this weekend. Iowa is 6-3 away from Grant Field this season, posting a 4-2 road record and a 2-1 neutral site record. The Hawkeyes scheduled 11 games away from Iowa City during the regular season, the most since 2006 when they also played 11 games away from home.

RANKED ROAD AHEAD
Four of the Hawkeyes final six opponents are currently ranked in the top 25. Iowa will face No. 15 Drexel and No. 7 Penn State this weekend, before closing out its regular season against No. 16 Michigan (Oct. 26) and No. 9 Northwestern (Oct. 28). Iowa is 4-2 this season against nationally-ranked opponents.

PLAYING THEM CLOSE
Seven of the Iowa’s 12 contests, including its last three, have been decided by a one goal margin. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 in such games this season.

PENN MONTO/NFHCA RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes maintained their No. 11 ranking in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll on Oct. 9, receiving 325 points. Five Big Ten teams were tabbed in the poll, including two top 10 teams — No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Northwestern. Ten Hawkeye opponents appeared in the poll. Second-ranked North Carolina is Iowa’s highest ranked opponent.

NCAA FIELD HOCKEY RPI RANKINGS
Iowa jumped six spots in the NCAA RPI rankings Oct. 1, moving from 18th to 12th. The Hawkeyes were the second-highest rated team in the Big Ten, behind Penn State (6). Six of the seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the top-25, as were nine Iowa opponents.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes split a weekend road trip, defeating Indiana, 2-1, in overtime Oct. 5 and falling to Louisville, 2-1, on Oct. 7. Aubrey Coleman scored two of the Hawkeyes’ three weekend goals, including the game-winner against Indiana. Senior Kathleen McGraw made nine saves over the two games.

MCGRAW PASSES MUNLEY
Senior Kathleen McGraw registered six saves against Louisville on Oct. 7, giving her 295 career stops. McGraw passed Lissa Munley (292 career saves) for fifth all-time in career saves. Associate head coach Lisa Cellucci holds the Iowa saves record with 592 saves. Below is the top five in all-time saves at Iowa.

Iowa Career All-Time Saves:
1. Lisa Cellucci – 592
2. Donna Lee – 492
3. Andrea Wieland – 472
4. Barb Weinberg – 371
5. Kathleen McGraw – 295

GRIESBAUM COLLECTS WIN NO. 150
Head coach Tracey Griesbaum collected her 150th win at Iowa when the Hawkeyes defeated Ohio State, 2-1, on Sept. 30. Griesbaum became the third coach in program history to win 150 games, joining Beth Beglin (199) and Judith Davidson (185). Griesbaum is 151-95 at Iowa, and 164-116 overall.

DEFENSE BIG TEN’S BEST
The Hawkeyes have been the Big Ten’s best defense this season, allowing just two goals in three conference games. Iowa leads the league in shutouts (4), goals against average (1.30), goals allowed (16), and goals allowed per game (1.33). The Hawkeyes rank second in defensive saves with five. Iowa ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in two statistical categories — shutouts (6th) and goals against average (7th).

HAWKEYES GETTING THEIR OPPORTUNITIES
Iowa is one of the Big Ten’s best at getting scoring opportunities. The Hawkeyes rank third in the Big Ten in shots (235) and penalty corners (109), and second in shots per game (19.58). In conference games only, Iowa ranks second in all three categories.

NOTHING GETS PAST MCGRAW
Senior Kathleen McGraw paces the Big Ten in shutouts (4) and shutouts per game (0.33). McGraw has played every minute of the Hawkeyes 12 games, shutting out Missouri State (10-0), Pacific (6-0) and UC Davis (3-0), and No. 15 Michigan State (1-0). McGraw has posted a 1.30 goals against average, ranking second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. The Atherton, Calif., native boasts a .746 save percentage, ranking fourth in the conference and 17th nationally.

BARNETT SAVES THE DAY
Senior Jessica Barnett leads the Big Ten during conference play with two defensive saves. Barnett has totaled three defensive saves this season, ranking third in the Big Ten and 12th nationally.

BARNETT, COLEMAN SHARE TEAM LEAD
Senior Jessica Barnett and junior Aubrey Coleman share the team-lead with six goals.

Three of Barnett’s six goals have been game-winning goals, the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Coleman has also tallied one assist this season, giving her the team-lead in points (13).

LESIAK LENDS HELPING HAND
Senior Geena Lesiak posted her third multi-assist game of the season Sept. 30 against Ohio State. Lesiak also had two or more assists against UC Davis (Sept. 10) and Missouri State (Sept. 2). Lesiak posted three assists against Missouri State, the most in a game by a Big Ten athlete this season, and the third-most in NCAA Division I. Lesiak has eight assists this season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. The Voorhees, N.J., native also ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game (0.67).

MCGRAW EARNS THREE B1G HONORS
Senior goalkeeper Kathleen McGraw has been honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week three times this season, as she won the award back-to-back weeks Sept. 11 and Sept. 18 and on Oct. 2. McGraw is the first athlete in program history to win three Defensive Player of the Week honors in one season.

Iowa earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor four straight weeks from Sept. 11-Oct. 2, marking the first time in Big Ten history that a school has earned a specific weekly award (offensive, defensive or freshman) four consecutive weeks. Jessica Barnett won the award on Sept. 25.

McGraw earned her first accolade after posting a pair of shutouts during the team’s West Coast swing Sept. 7-10. McGraw finished the weekend with 10 saves, a 1.29 goals against average and a .769 save percentage.

The Atherton, Calif., native received the honor a second time Sept. 18 after leading the Hawkeyes to a 2-1 victory over No. 20 Albany on Sept. 16 at Grant Field. McGraw made eight saves and had a .889 save percentage against an aggressive Great Dane offensive attack that had 15 shots and 11 penalty corners.

McGraw earned her third accolade after leading Iowa to a 2-1 victory over No. 18 Ohio State on Sept. 30 at Grant Field. She made four saves, while facing nine Buckeye shots and five penalty corners.

McGraw has received the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolade four times in her career.

BARNETT BAGS B1G HONOR
Senior Jessica Barnett was tabbed as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25.

Barnett earned her first career Defensive Player of the Week accolade after leading Iowa’s defensive effort in road victories over No. 15 Michigan State (1-0) and Central Michigan (4-1). The Hawkeye back line allowed only 12 shots in the two games. The honor is the fourth of Barnett’s Hawkeye career.

Last season, the Vancouver, Canada, native was a three-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, earning the distinction on Oct. 11, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.

BEAMESDERFER COMPETES INTERNATIONALLY
Assistant coach Meghan Beamesderfer played for the U.S. National Team in the Electric Ireland Women’s Champions Challenge 1 tournament in Dublin, Ireland on Sept. 29-Oct. 7. The United States went 4-2 at the Challenge, advancing to the championship game before losing to Austrailia, 6-1. Beamesderfer was one of 16 athletes chosen for the Champions Challenge, and was joined by former Hawkeye All-American Lauren Pfeiffer on the squad. Pfieffer scored four goals for team U.S.A. during the tournament

JOHANSEN PLAYS FOR TEAM CANADA
Junior Karli Johansen missed five games from Sept. 9-Sept. 23 to play for the Canadian Junior National Team in the 2012 Pan American Junior Championship, hosted in Guadalajara, Mexico. Johansen and Canada finished with a 3-1-1 record, winning a silver medal. It was Canada’s highest finish in the Junior Pan Ams since 1997. The squad secured an automatic berth in the 2013 Junior World Cup.

HAWKEYES SET TEAM HIGHS
The Hawkeyes have set the team high totals in goals and shots for the Big Ten this season. Iowa set a team-high in goals (10) Sept. 2 against Missouri State. The 10 goals are the second highest total in the NCAA this season. Iowa fired 44 shots against Pacific on Sept. 9, the most by any team in the conference this season. In addition, the Hawkeyes are the only team in the Big Ten to hold an opponent without a shot for an entire game this season, as Missouri State did not attempt a shot against Iowa on Sept. 2.

COLEMAN NOTCHES HAT TRICK
Junior Aubrey Coleman tallied a hat trick in the Hawkeyes’ 6-0 victory over Pacific on Sept. 9. All three goals were unassisted, as Coleman scored during the 16th, 50th, and 53rd minutes. It was the first hat trick of Coleman’s career. It was the Hawkeyes first hat trick since Jessica Barnett scored three goals in a 5-2 win against Ball State on Oct. 28, 2011.

MITCHELL, HEMEON SCORE TWO
Junior Kelsey Mitchell and sophomore Dani Hemeon both registered the first multi-goal games of their Hawkeye careers this season. Mitchell scored two goals against No. 20 Albany on Sept. 16, finding the goal at the 3:26 mark and the 37:40 mark. Hemeon scored twice Sept. 10 against UC Davis. Both goals were scored via penalty corners, with the first coming at the 5:39 mark and the second at the 53:00 mark.

CAFONE GETS ON THE BOARD
Freshman Natalie Cafone scored the first two goals of her Hawkeye career against Missouri State on Sept. 2. Her first collegiate goal came at the 20:45 mark of the first half via a Geena Lesiak assist. Cafone added her second goal at the 40:20 mark.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Jessica Barnett and Kathleen McGraw are serving as team captains for the Hawkeyes in 2012. Barnett and McGraw were both team captains in 2011.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
? The Hawkeyes have 21 student-athletes on their roster; five freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors and six seniors.
? Seven Hawkeyes hail from New Jersey, four from Pennsylvania, two from California and Canada, and one from Belgium, Delaware, Germany, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia.
? Five members of the Iowa roster were also teammates in high school. Corinne Allen, Geena Lesiak and Kelsey Mitchell all played at Eastern Regional High School in New Jersey, while Jessica Barnett and Karli Johansen competed for Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, Canada.

TCHOU INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
Former Hawkeye Liz Tchou officially became a member of the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 14. She was joined by four other former Iowa athletes in the 2012 class, the 24th class to be inducted. Tchou was honored at halftime of Iowa’s game against Albany on Sept. 16. She was also recognized at halftime of Iowa’s football game against Northern Iowa on Sept. 15.

Tchou was a standout at Iowa from 1984-1987, becoming the first female in Iowa history to have her number retired. Tchou led the Hawkeyes to the 1986 National Championship, as she paced Iowa with 15 goals. She was a first team All-American in 1987 after leading the team in goals (30) and points (65). Tchou scored 75 career goals, a mark that still stands fifth in the Iowa record books. She was a four-time All-Big Ten first team selection, twice being named Big Ten Conference MVP. Tchou was also a two-time Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient at Iowa. Following her Hawkeye career, she played for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1989-95 and was a member of the 1996 Olympic Team. She is currently the Youth Development Manager for U.S.A. Field Hockey.

HAWKEYES TO HOST BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Iowa will host the Big Ten Tournament at Grant Field in 2012. The tournament will begin with first round play on Nov. 1, followed by semifinal action on Nov. 2 and the championship game on Nov. 4. The Hawkeyes will host the conference tournament at Grant Field for a third time in 2012. Iowa City previously hosted the event in 1997 and 2005.

THE HAWKEYES ON BTN
Six University of Iowa field hockey regular season contests will be available via live coverage during the 2012 season. Two Hawkeye games will be televised on BTN, while four contests will be streamed on BTN.com. All seven games at the 2012 Big Ten Tournament at Grant Field will also feature live coverage. Iowa hosts the tournament Nov. 1-4. Below is a complete list of the Iowa broadcast schedule:

2012 Iowa Live Coverage Schedule
? Sept. 16 – vs. Albany (BTN.com)
? Sept. 30 – vs. Ohio State (BTN.com)
? Oct. 5 – at Indiana (BTN)
? Oct. 21 – vs. Ball State (BTN.com)
? Oct. 26 – vs. Michigan (BTN)
? Oct. 28 – vs. Northwestern (BTN.com)
2012 Big Ten Tournament (Iowa City, Iowa)
? Nov. 1 – First Round – 3 Games (BTN.com)
? Nov. 2 – Semifinals (BTN)
? Nov. 4 – Championship (BTN)

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Become fans of the official Iowa Field Hockey fan page by going to facebook.com/iowafieldhockey to follow the Hawkeyes on Facebook. Fans can also follow the Black and Gold on Twitter at twitter.com/iowafieldhockey.

UP NEXT
Iowa will play its final two nonconference games of the regular season, hosting Kent State and Ball State at Grant Field. The Hawkeyes face Kent State on Oct. 20 at noon, and Ball State on Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. Both times are Central.