Sept. 10, 2015
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The 15th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team battled toe-to-toe with fifth-ranked Stanford, only to come up one second short in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Grant Field on Thursday afternoon.
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“I thought we took a lot of steps forward in some of the areas that we specifically worked on in practice this week,” said UI head coach Lisa Cellucci. “But we have to find a way to win in the end, especially when you dominate the statistics like we did today. It’s very disappointing how the game ended, but I think overall the team has to feel good about the product we put on the field.”
It was a defensive battle in the first half as the Hawkeyes and Cardinal were in a scoreless tie until Stanford’s Tew Fran finally broke the ice and scored in the 34th minute.
Prior to Stanford’s goal, Iowa had a chance to go up 1-0 when junior Chandler Ackers earned a penalty shot in the 31st minute. Cardinal goalkeeper Dulcie Davies made the save, adding to her game total of nine.
It was tough putting anything past Davies, but the Hawkeyes finally figured out a way in the second half. At the 38 minute mark, freshman Makenna Grewe scored her team-leading fourth goal. Ackers was credited with the assist.
The Hawkeyes went on to take a 2-1 lead in the 50th minute after Ackers found junior Stephanie Norlander, who volleyed the ball over Davies, off the crossbar and into the goal.
Stanford came back to tie the game on a Jessica Chisholm goal in the 59th minute off a penalty corner.
With time winding down, the Cardinal made an offensive push and earned a penalty corner with one second remaining. After Chisholm’s initial shot was saved by Iowa’s junior goalkeeper Alexandra Pecora, Marissa Cicione collected the rebound and poked it in with no time left on the clock, giving Stanford the 3-2 victory.
All three of Stanford’s goals came on penalty corners, a category that Iowa dominated, 11-5. The Hawkeyes also outshot the visitors, 17-9.
“I told our team that it’s going to sting and that they can let it sting tonight, but we have to move on,” said Cellucci. “As soon as we wake up tomorrow our focus needs to shift towards Kent State. We’re going to prepare for them just like we did for Stanford.”
The Hawkeyes (2-3) return to Grant Field on Saturday for a matchup with Kent State (0-5) at 11:30 a.m. (CT). Saturday’s contest is being billed as “Dollar Dog Day.” There will also be free t-shirts for the first 75 fans.
