Hawkeyes Open Big Ten Play at Home

Sept. 17, 2015

THIS WEEK
The 16th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team is back at Grant Field this weekend for a pair of home contests. The Hawkeyes open the weekend with their first Big Ten contest of the season, taking on Rutgers on Friday at 3 p.m. (CT). Iowa concludes its home weekend with a matchup against Missouri State on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT).

LIVE STREAMING
Iowa field hockey fans can follow all home contests via live stats (GameTracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “GT” link found on the field hockey schedule page to access the live stats feed. Fans can also follow @IowaFieldHockey for live in-game updates. Both Friday and Sunday’s contests will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2go.com.

PROMOTIONS
? Friday is staff and faculty appreciation night. There will be free Iowa field hockey t-shirts for the first 75 fans.
? Sunday is Junior Hawk Club Day. Free hot dogs and ice cream sandwiches will be provided for Junior Hawk members. There will also be an autograph session with the players following the game.

LINK UP WITH THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa field hockey program and to access exclusive coverage, “like” The University of Iowa Field Hockey Team on Facebook and follow @IowaFieldHockey on Twitter and Instagram.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
? Through seven games, Iowa has tallied a Big Ten best 27 assists and is averaging 3.86 assists per game. The average ranks third in the country and tops in the league.
? Iowa’s average of 11 points per game is tied for sixth best in the country and second best in the Big Ten behind Rutgers.
? The Hawkeyes’ 25 goals are the sixth most in the country. Their average of 3.57 goals per game is third best in the conference and 12th nationally.
? Junior Stephanie Norlander ranks third in the country in points scored with 20. Her average of 2.86 points per game leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.
? Norlander’s nine goals in 2015 are the most in the Big Ten and rank third in the country. She is a averaging 1.29 goals per game, which ranks seventh in the NCAA.
? Freshman Makenna Grewe ranks second in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten in assists with seven. Her average of one assist per game is tied for third in the country, while her four-assist game against Saint Louis (Sept. 13) is a 2015 NCAA single game high.
? Grewe’s seven goals in 2015 rank first among all Division I freshman, while her average of 0.86 goals per game ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 26th nationally.
? Grewe’s 19 points and average of 2.71 points per game rank second in the Big Ten behind Norlander.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
? Rutgers’ matchup against the Hawkeyes will be the team’s first road contest this season.
? The Scarlett Knights are on a two-game win streak and are outscoring their opponents 20-10.
? Rutgers has scored at least three goals in every game and leads the conference with 4.00 goals per game and 11.8 points per game.
?10 different players have scored for Rutgers, while three others have added at least one assist.
? Nicole Imbriaco leads Rutgers in scoring — the senior has recorded five goals and two assists for a career-best 12 points in 2015. She ranks 10th nationally, averaging one goal per game and is third in the Big Ten with 2.4 points per game.

RUTGERS VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Iowa is 5-0-1 all-time against Rutgers.
? In the first ever meeting between the two schools (1982), the Hawkeyes defeated the Scarlet Knights in overtime, 2-1.
? In last year’s meeting — Rutgers’ first season as a member of the Big Ten conference — the Hawkeyes blanked the Scarlet Knights, 3-0, in Piscataway.
?In six games between the two schools, Iowa is outscoring Rutgers, 21-4, and has recorded three shutouts (1986, 1992, 2014).

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
? Following a Thursday contest against Saint Louis, the Bears (1-4) travel to Iowa City for neutral site contest against Rutgers on Saturday and finish the weekend with a matchup against the Hawkeyes.
? Missouri State’s lone win of the season came at Davidson, when the Bears picked up a 2-0 shutout victory.
? Six different Bears have scored this season, led by senior Charlie Redhead who has two. ? Through five games, the Bears are giving up 3.6 goals per game, and have been outscored by opponents, 18-7.

MISSOURI STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Since Iowa’s first official season (1977), the Hawkeyes and the Bears of Missouri State have met 33 times — Iowa leads the all-time series, 27-5-1.
? Missouri State’s last win over Iowa came in 1979.
? Iowa has outscored Missouri State, 34-3, in the last four contests. The Hawkeyes won last year’s contest, 7-0.

LOOKING BACK
Last week the Hawkeyes hosted a trio of schools, including No. 5 Stanford, Kent State, and Saint Louis, in what was their first homestand of the 2015 season. The Hawkeyes went 2-1.

Iowa fell to Stanford in heartbreaking fashion on Sept.10, losing 3-2 via penalty corner with no time left on the clock. Junior Stephanie Norlander and freshman Makenna Grewe scored for the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes went on to avenge their midweek loss by blowing out Kent State on Sept 12 (7-1) and Saint Louis on Sept. 13 (7-0). Seven different Hawkeyes scored in the two victories.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 16th in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Poll, released on Sept. 15. The Hawkeyes garnered 225 points in the rankings and are one of four ranked Big Ten schools — Maryland (No. 10), Northwestern (No. 12), and Penn State (No. 18). Iowa has been ranked in the polls each week dating back to Sept. 6, 2011.

TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE BEST
Of Iowa’s 18 opponents in 2015, seven are currently are ranked in the most recent NFHCA Division I Poll released on Sept. 15 — No. 3 North Carolina, No. 6 Stanford, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 10 Maryland, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 18 Penn State, and No. 19 James Madison.

GREWE NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman Makenna Grewe was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week by the league office on Tuesday. It is the first honor of Grewe’s career.

In three games this past week, Grewe scored three goals and recorded six assists, helping the Hawkeyes to victories over Kent State and Saint Louis.

Grewe got Iowa on the board against fifth-ranked Stanford on Sept. 10 when she tied the game at one in the 38th minute. Iowa eventually fell in heartbreaking fashion, 3-2, losing on a penalty corner with no time left on the clock.

On Sept 12, Grewe scored two goals and recorded two assists in a 7-1 victory over Kent State, her second two-goal game of the year. The Hawkeye forward has scored at least one goal in four of Iowa’s seven games and is tied for third in the conference with six goals on the year.

The Big Ten assists leader (7) recorded four assists in Iowa’s 7-0 shutout victory over Saint Louis on Sept. 13, falling one assist shy of tying the school’s single game assists record of five set by Lisa Sweeney in 1991.

BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Three University of Iowa field hockey players — Chandler Ackers, Stephanie Norlander and Alexandra Pecora — have been named to the 2015 Big Ten Players to Watch List, announced by the league office.

Ackers, a junior from White Haven, Pennsylvania, started all 18 contests in 2014, accounting for 11 points on two goals and a team-high seven assists. She was named to the 2014 All-Big Ten Tournament Team, while also garnering Academic All-Big Ten honors. Ackers was also named to the NFHCA Academic Squad for the second-straight year.

A two-time Player to Watch, Norlander was a second-team NFHCA All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2014. She started in all 18 contests, scoring 35 points on 15 goals and five assists during her sophomore campaign. The North Vancouver, Canada, native ranked third in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in goals per game (.83), while ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in points per game (1.94). Norlander also scored four game-winning goals last season. In 2013, Norlander was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in addition to earning NFHCA West Region All-America second-team honors.

Pecora appeared in 17 contests in 2014, starting each game at goalkeeper. The Marlton, New Jersey, native posted a 10-7 mark as a sophomore, collecting 78 saves and recording a .722 save percentage. Pecora tallied a career-high 13 saves at No. 2 Maryland on Nov. 1, and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 following her performance in a 4-0 shutout over No. 5 Penn State.

WHAT A SUMMER IT WAS
A second-team NFHCA All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2014, junior Stephanie Norlander highlights what was a busy summer for several Hawkeyes. A native of North Vancouver, Canada, Norlander competed for the Canadian National Field Hockey Team at the World League 3 semifinals in Valencia, Spain as well as the 2015 Pan American Games, where she helped the Canadians to a third place, bronze medal finish. She scored three goals in Canada’s Pan Am opener against the Dominican Republic en route to a 12-1 victory.

Juniors Chandler Ackers and Alexandra Pecora and sophomores Melissa Progar and Taylor Omqeg were each selected and competed in the USA Women’s National Championship at the USA Training Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ackers and Pecora were also selected and participated at the Junior National Team Camp and Trials held at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex also in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Sophomore Veronique Declercq competed for the Belgium U21 Team in various tournaments over the course of the summer.

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.

IOWA NEWCOMERS
Iowa’s 2015 roster features a lot of youth. Of the 19 student-athletes listed on Iowa’s roster, 12 are either freshmen or sophomores. Iowa’s five freshmen include Lara Bampfield (F), Isabella Brown (MF), Makenna Grewe (MF), Riley Kniptash (F/MF), and Avery Semler (F/MF).

CAFONE REDSHIRTING
The 2014 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American will redshirt during the 2015 season due to injury. Cafone dislocated her shoulder last November and re-injured it during the spring.

WELCOME BACK, JESS
Head coach Lisa Cellucci announced the addition of former Hawkeye Jessica Barnett to her staff in late July. Iowa’s 2012 and 2013 Female Athlete of the Year, Barnett will serve as a volunteer assistant coach. A four-year starter for the Hawkeyes from 2009-12, Barnett was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten, All-Region, and Big Ten All-Tournament team selection. She helped the Hawkeyes earn back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011-12.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes hit the road next week for the start of a five-game road stretch beginning with Indiana on Sept. 25.

HAWKEYES ON BTN
Throughout the 2015 season, two Hawkeye contests will be televised live on Big Ten Network — Iowa’s home contest against Michigan State (Oct. 16) and away matchup at Penn State (Oct. 23) –, while five additional matches will be streamed live on the BTN Plus. All four quarterfinal matches (Nov. 5) of the 2015 Big Ten Tournament, hosted by the University of Indiana, will be streamed on the BTN Plus. Both semifinal contests (Nov. 6) and the championship match (Nov. 8) can be seen live on BTN.

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