Hawkeyes Begin 5-Game Road Stretch

Sept. 23, 2015

THIS WEEK
The 16th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team hits the road this week for the start of a five-game road stretch. The Hawkeyes open the weekend at Indiana for a conference showdown on Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) before heading to Ball State on Sunday for an 11 a.m. (CT) contest.

LIVE STREAMING
Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contests via live stats on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “GameTracker” or “Live Stats” link found on the field hockey schedule page to access the live stats feed. Friday’s game will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2go.com, while Sunday’s nonconference bout will be streamed on ESPN3.

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 — TEAM STATS
? Through nine games, Iowa has tallied a Big Ten best 33 assists. The Hawkeyes average 3.67 assists per game, ranking fifth in the country and conference.
? Iowa’s average of 10.56 points per game ranks ninth in the country and third in the Big Ten behind Rutgers (12.14) and Maryland (11). The Hawkeyes have tallied 95 points in nine games, the fifth most nationally.
? Iowa’s 31 goals are tied for the sixth most in the country. Their average of 3.44 goals per game is fourth best in the conference — Rutgers (4.14), Northwestern (3.60), and Maryland (3.50) — and 13th nationally.
? The Hawkeyes are outscoring their opponents, 31-15, and average a 1.77 margin of victory — 13th best in the country.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING — INDIVIDUAL STATS
? Junior Stephanie Norlander ranks third in the country in points scored with 23. Her average of 2.56 points per game ranks sixth nationally and second in the Big Ten behind Rutgers’ Nicole Imbriaco (2.86).
? Norlander’s 10 goals in 2015 are the most in the Big Ten and rank third in the country. She is a averaging 1.11 goals per game, which ranks ninth in the NCAA.
? Freshman Makenna Grewe is tied for second in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten in assists with eight.
Her average of 0.89 assists per game ranks fifth 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 second among all Division I freshman, while her average of 0.78 goals per game ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 33rd nationally.
? Grewe’s 22 points and average of 2.44 points per game rank third in the Big Ten and 10th nationally.

SCOUTING INDIANA
? The Hoosiers enter Friday’s conference showdown with a 3-4 overall record. Friday’s matchup will be their first conference game of the season.
? Indiana’s three wins this season have come against Missouri State, Pacific, and Ball State. The Hoosiers scored four or more goals in each of the wins.
? Defensively, goalkeeper Noelle Rother currently leads the Big Ten Conference in total saves (37) and is third in saves per game (4.11).
? Nine different players have scored for Indiana, while six others have added at least one assist.
? Karen Lorite leads Indiana in scoring — the senior has recorded four goals and two assists for 10 points in 2015.

INDIANA VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Iowa is 18-6 all-time against Indiana.
? In the first ever meeting between the two schools (1977), the Hoosiers topped the Hawkeyes, 1-0.
? Iowa has won four in a row against Indiana. In last year’s meeting, the Hawkeyes topped the 17th-ranked Hoosiers, 4-1, in Iowa City.
? Since 2003, Iowa and Indiana have gone into overtime four times (2003, 2005, 2007, 2012). Iowa is 3-1 in those games.

SCOUTING BALL STATE
? Following a Saturday contest against Ohio, the Cardinals (1-7) host Iowa in a nonconference bout on Sunday.
? Ball State’s lone win of the season came at home against Appalachian State, when the Cardinals won, 3-2. Ball State is 0-4 against Big Ten teams this season (Rutgers, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Indiana).
? Lexi Kavanaugh leads the Ball State offensively with five goals and two assists for 12 points. She was named the Mid-American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15.
? Through eight games, the Cardinals are giving up 3.25 goals per game, and have been outscored by opponents, 26-11.

BALL STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Since Iowa’s first official season (1977), the Hawkeyes and the Cardinals of Ball State have met 24 times — Iowa leads the all-time series, 22-2.
? Ball State’s last win over Iowa came in 1997. The Cardinals shutout the Hawkeyes, 5-0.
? Iowa has shutout Ball State 16 different times, including last year when the Hawkeyes trounced the Cardinals, 8-0, in Iowa City.

CALL IT A WIN STREAK
The Hawkeyes have won four games in a row, a streak that dates back to Sept. 12 when Iowa trounced Kent State at home, 7-1. In those four games, Iowa has recorded two shutouts and outscored its opponents, 20-4. The four-game win streak is Iowa’s longest since last season when the Hawkeyes won five in a row (Sept. 14 – Oct. 3)

LOOKING BACK
Last week the Hawkeyes ended a five-game homestand, picking up two wins to improve to 6-3 overall.

Iowa’s first win came against Rutgers in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 18. The Hawkeyes and Scarlet Knights battled back and forth in the rain, but the Hawkeyes ended up on top in a 4-3 victory. Freshman Makenna Grewe, sophomores Mallory Lefkowitz and Veronique Declercq, and junior Stephanie Norlander each scored in the win.

On Sept. 20, two second half goals pushed Iowa past Missouri State as the Hawkeyes won 2-0 and picked up their second shutout of the year. Senior Isabella Licciardello scored her first goal of the season to get Iowa on the board midway through the second half before Lefkowitz put the game out of reach with her second goal in as many games.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 16th in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Poll, released on Sept. 22. The Hawkeyes garnered 248 points in the rankings and are one of four ranked Big Ten schools — Maryland (T-No. 9), Northwestern (No. 14), and Michigan (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 ranked in the most recent NFHCA Division I Poll released on Sept. 22 — No. 3 North Carolina, No. 7 Wake Forest, T-No. 9 Stanford, T-No. 9 Maryland, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 18 Michigan, 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 Sept. 15. It was the first honor of Grewe’s career.

In three games (Sept. 10-13), 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 five games and is tied for fifth in the conference with seven goals on the year.

Grewe 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 Omweg 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 remain on the road next week, traveling to Illinois to take on Big Ten foe and 14th-ranked Northwestern.

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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