Sept. 20, 2015
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two second half goals propelled the University of Iowa field hockey team to a 2-0 victory over Missouri State on Sunday afternoon at Grant Field. The win is Iowa’s fourth straight and sixth overall (6-3).
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“Give Missouri State credit,” said UI head coach Lisa Cellucci. “They played a great game. They had a good game plan and really packed it in with the numbers. We made some changes at halftime and were able to score a couple goals in the second half.”
The Hawkeyes and Bears were scoreless until midway through the second half. Senior Isabella Licciardello scored her first goal of the season to get Iowa on the board and take a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
“There was a little relief after that first goal,” said Cellucci. “It allowed us to relax a little more and to play our game. That’s what we need to do from start to finish, just play our game. We didn’t do that in the first half, so I’m glad we were able to do that in the second.”
In the 57th minute, Iowa went up 2-0 and put the game out of reach. Sophomore Mallory Lefkowitz poked in a pass from fellow sophomore Veronique Declercq over Missouri State’s goalkeeper and into the upper right corner, scoring her second goal in as many games and third of the year.
Junior Alexandra Pecora picked up her second shutout of the season, notching three saves in the process.
The Hawkeyes dominated the stat line in Sunday’s contest. Iowa outshot Missouri State, 14-5, and earned more penalty corners, 10-1.
“In terms of game management, I thought we did a much better job today than we did on Friday,” said Cellucci. “I would have liked to have seen some early goals because I think that would have really relieved some pressure. But overall, we got the win and that’s what was most important.”
Iowa hits the road next week for the start of a five-game road trip, beginning with Indiana on Sept. 25. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. (CT) and, the contest will be live streamed on BTN Plus.
