Hawkeyes Set for Six-Game Homestand

September 24, 2014

This Week The eighth-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team (5-2, 1-0) begins a six-game homestand at Grant Field this weekend, hosting No. 17 Indiana (7-0) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT), and Missouri State (2-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). Friday’s match against Indiana can be seen live on BTN.

Promotions Friday’s contest against Indiana will be “Social Media Night” where fans are encouraged to tweet using the hashtag #INDvsIOWA for a chance at a $10 food voucher to the concession stand — where it’s “Dollar Dog Night”. Free t-shirts will be given away to the first 50 fans. Sunday’s contest is “Junior Hawk Club Day” where the first 100 fans will receive a free scarf. Autographs will be available after the game.

Scouting No. 17 Indiana Head coach Amy Robertson enters her 14th season at the helm of the program. The Hoosiers are off to a 7-0 start and one of three undefeated teams in the country along with Harvard and St. Francis. Saudra Heilman leads the program offensively with nine goals, four assists, and 22 points. The Hoosiers last outing resulted in a 1-0 road victory over Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Scouting Missouri State The Bears are led by head coach Gabby Gomez Sosa who enters her fourth season at the helm of the Missouri State field hockey program. The Bears are 2-7 on the season with wins over UC Davis and Saint Louis. Holly Scherer paces the Missouri State offense with five goals, one assist, and 11 points. The Bears last outing resulted in a 4-3 road loss to Saint Louis in St. Louis, Missouri.

We Meet Again Iowa has familiarity with both opponents this week after posting wins over both teams a season ago. Iowa defeated scored a 7-1 victory over Missouri State on Oct. 7th, and defeated Indiana, 5-1, on Oct.11th.

All-Time Series The Hawkeyes hold the edge in the all-time series’ against both teams this week. Iowa posts a 17-6 all-time mark against Indiana, and a 25-4-1 record against Missouri State.

In the Rankings The University of Iowa ranks eighth in the 2014 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Poll. The Hawkeyes garnered 573 points in the rankings. Iowa has been ranked each week (37 weeks) in the poll dating back to Sept. 6, 2011. Iowa is one of seven Big Ten Conference schools in the rankings along with Maryland (fourth), Penn State (seventh), Northwestern (13th), Michigan (14th), Indiana (17th), and Michigan State (18th).

Hawkeyes in the National Rankings Natalie Cafone — the reigning national points leader from 2013 — currently ranks second nationally, and leads the Big Ten in goals per game (1.57). The Hawkeyes also rank 16th-nationally in goals per game (2.94).

Iowa Sits No. 4 in RPI Rankings The Rating Percentage Index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team’s wins and losses and its strength of schedule. Released Sept. 23, the Hawkeyes landed the No. 4 national ranking — the highest ranking in the Big Ten conference.

Looking Ahead The Hawkeyes continue part of their six-game homestand next week with games against Ball State (Oct. 3rd), and Northwestern (Oct. 5th).

Quick Cap-Rutgers The ninth-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team (5-2, 1-0) defeated Rutgers on the road Sept. 21, 3-0, in Piscataway, New Jersey. Junior Natalie Cafone got off to a fast start netting the opening goal just under the four-minute mark to give Iowa a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Iowa struck first in the 49th minute benefitting from Cafone’s second goal of the match to stretch the lead to 2-0. Sophomore Jessey Silfer registered the assist. Sara Watro tallied a goal of her own just two minutes later to extend the Hawkeye lead, 3-0. The score marked Watro’s second on the season. The Hawkeye defense held strong in the remaining minutes to secure the victory and push Iowa’s record to 5-2.

Iowa at Grant Field The Hawkeyes own an overall home record of 140-46, a conference record of 60-25 at home, and an 11-2 record in NCAA Tournament games played in Iowa City.

Cafone Named B1G Player of the Week Junior Natalie Cafone was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9. Cafone paced Iowa’s offensive attack with three goals on five shots in a 4-3 win over No. 6 Virginia in Iowa’s home opener on Sept. 4. This marked Cafone’s second Big Ten Player of the Week honor (Sept. 24, 2013). Cafone was the last Hawkeye to record a hat trick (Sept. 22, 2013).

Big Ten Watch List Three University of Iowa field hockey players — Natalie Cafone, Dani Hemeon and Stephanie Norlander — were named to the 2014 Big Ten Players to Watch List. Cafone, a junior from Fairfield, New Jersey, enters the 2014 campaign coming off an outstanding sophomore season where she started every contest and led the nation in points per game (2.48); the first Hawkeye to do so in 22 years (Kristy Gleason, 1992). Cafone was named to the NFHCA Division I All-America second team, NFHCA West Region All-America first team, All-Big Ten first team, All-Big Ten tournament team, and was named the University of Iowa’s 2014 Female Athlete of the Year. Hemeon, a senior native of Gilroy, California, saw action in all of Iowa’s 21 contests last season, making 20 starts. Hemeon led the team with eight defensive saves and recorded a hat trick against Indiana on Oct. 11. Hemeon was named NFHCA Division I All-America third team, NFHCA West Region All-America first team, All-Big Ten first team, and All-Big Ten tournament team. Norlander, a sophomore native of North Vancouver, Canada, appeared in 18 games last season and made 17 starts. As a freshman, Norlander ranked third on the team in goals (nine), and points (19). Norlander capped her freshman campaign with NFHCA West Region All-America second team and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

All-Americans Natalie Cafone and Dani Hemeon were named 2013 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Americans. Cafone was named to the second team, while Hemeon garnered third team honors. Cafone and Hemeon are the 84th and 85th national All-Americans in program history. Only four programs nationally have had more.

Cafone Steps Up Junior Natalie Cafone was named the University of Iowa’s 2014 Female Athlete of the Year. The Fairfield, N.J., native was the NCAA statistical champion for points per game in 2013, leading the nation in points per game (2.48) the first Hawkeye to lead nation in points per game since Kristy Gleason in 1992 (3.95). Cafone was named to the NFHCA Division I All-America second team, NFHCA West Region All-America first team, All-Big Ten first team and the All-Big Ten tournament team. Cafone has scored 33 goals over her last 28 games.

Iowa Newcomers The Black and Gold feature 10 freshman on the 2014 roster. Taylor Omweg and Veronique Declercq will both see action in the backfield. Torie Berkel, JoElla Guagliardo and Mallory Lefkowitz will contribute to the Hawkeye forward line. Pommeline Kortanje, Emily George, Mackenzie Sapp and Melissa Progar will each add to the midfielder’s depth. Freshman goal keeper Katie Jones rounds out the Hawkeye newcomers.

Roster Breakdown 21 student-athletes on the UI field hockey roster: – 10 freshmen – Five sophomores – Three juniors – Three seniors

Four members of the Iowa roster were also teammates in high school. Sophie Plasteras and Stephanie Norlander played alongside one another at Handsworth Secondary in North Vancouver, Canada, while Taylor Omweg and Melissa Progar competed for Tabb High School in Yorktown, Va.

Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament The Hawkeyes have been selected to the NCAA Tournament 22 times in program history — the most of any school as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes are 26-23 all-time in tournament play, including 9-5 in first round match-ups and 11-6 in second round contests. Iowa has advanced to 11 NCAA Final Fours, winning the 1986 national championship. The Hawkeyes 26 tournament victories and 11 NCAA Final Fours are the most of any school as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Hawkeyes Selected To U.S. National Team Junior Natalie Cafone and former UI All-American Lauren Pfeiffer were selected to the 2014-15 U.S. Women’s National Team. Pfeiffer, a member of the U.S. National Team since 2009 who has earned 66 caps, was a two time All-American at Iowa. During her career, Pfeiffer earned all-region honors three times, first-team All-Big Ten honors twice, and was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP twice.

National Academic Honors The University of Iowa field hockey team was awarded the 2013 Gladiator SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award. The National Academic Team Award recognizes those institutions that have achieved a team GPA of 3.0 or higher during the first semester of the 2013-14 academic year. Brynn Gitt and Jessy Silfer were named 2013 Gladiator SGI/NFHCA Division I Scholars of Distinction. The honor is awarded to student-athletes who achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2013-14 academic year.

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 on Twitter: @iowafieldhockey

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