Hawkeyes Host 2 in B1G Weekend

Oct. 14, 2015

THIS WEEK
After a five-game road trip, the University of Iowa field hockey team returns to Iowa City this weekend to host a pair of Big Ten contests. The Hawkeyes face Michigan State on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) before concluding the weekend with a showdown against Ohio State at 12 p.m. (CT) on Sunday. Both contests will be played at Grant Field.

WATCH LIVE
Friday’s game against Michigan State will be televised on BTN with Dean Linke and Kara Lentz on the call. Sunday’s game against Ohio State will be streamed live on BTN Plus at BTN2go.com.

FOLLOW ON THE WEB
Iowa field hockey fans can follow both of this weekend’s 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 on Twitter for live in-game updates.

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 14 games, Iowa has tallied the second most assists in the Big Ten and the fifth most in the country with 44. The Hawkeyes average 3.14 assists per game, ranking sixth nationally and second in the conference.
? Iowa’s average of 9.14 points per game ranks 14th in the country and third in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have tallied 128 points in 14 games, the 11th most nationally.
? Iowa’s 42 goals are the 12th most in the country. The Hawkeyes’ average of three goals per game is tied for 17th nationally.
? The Hawkeyes are outscoring their opponents, 42-28, and average a one-goal margin of victory — 22nd best in the country.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING — INDIVIDUAL STATS
? Junior Stephanie Norlander ranks fourth in the country in points scored with 32. Her average of 2.29 points per game ranks sixth nationally and first in the Big Ten.
? Norlander’s 14 goals in 2015 are the most in the Big Ten and rank fourth in the country. Her average of one goal per game is tied for fourth in the NCAA. Norlander is one goal shy of tying her single season career high (15).
? Freshman Makenna Grewe and sophomore Melissa Progar are among the best in the country when it comes to assists. Grewe is tied for fourth in the country in assists with 10, while Progar is tied for fifth with nine. Grewe’s average of 0.71 assists per game ranks 12 nationally, while her four-assist game against Saint Louis (Sept. 13) is tied with Teresa Benvenuti of Princeton for a 2015 NCAA single game high.
? Grewe’s seven goals in 2015 are tied for eighth most among all Division I freshman.
? Grewe’s 24 points are the second most among all Division I freshman — Roos Weers, Syracuse (28) — and are tied for 19th nationally. Her average of two points per game ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 34th nationally.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
? The Spartans currently sit at 5-9 overall and own a 2-3 record in conference play.
? After starting 0-3 in conference action, the Spartans have won back-to-back Big Ten games. Michigan State defeated Rutgers, 5-4, in double overtime and edged Indiana, 3-2, also in overtime.
? Eleven different Spartans have scored this year. Sophomore Sophie Macarde leads the way with seven goals and five assists.
? Sophomore Katie Miller has started at goal for the Spartans in each of the last three games, compiling a 2-1 record with 29 saves. She leads the Big Ten in saves per game with a 7.60 average. Redshirt junior Sierra Patton started the first 10 games at goal for the Spartans.

MICHIGAN STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Iowa is 48-14-1 all-time against Michigan State, including 18-7 when playing in Iowa City.
? The lone tie between Iowa and Michigan State came in the first ever meeting between the two schools (1977). The Hawkeyes and Spartans battled to a 2-2 draw.
?Since 2010, the Hawkeyes and Spartans have each won three games apiece. Michigan State won last year’s contest, 2-0, in East Lansing, Michigan.
? Iowa has shutout Michigan State in 27 of its 48 wins. From Oct. 19, 1985 to Oct. 23 1992, the Hawkeyes shutout the Spartans in 14 consecutive meetings. Iowa outscored Michigan State, 70-0, in those 14 games.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE
? Ohio State is 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are in third place in the conference standings.
? The Buckeyes are 6-3 in their last nine contests.
? Sophomore Maddy Humphrey leads the Buckeyes offensively with eight goals and three assists for 19 points. She has at least one goal in eight of her nine games this season.
? The Buckeyes are 4-1 in one-goal games this year. They fell to No. 11 Louisville, 1-0, on Oct. 11.
? In the Big Ten, Humphrey ranks third in points per game (2.11) and goals per game (0.89). Sophomore Liz Tamburro is first in saves (72) and second in saves per game (6).
? Freshman Casey Cole was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week on Oct. 13. She played a key part of Ohio State’s 3-0 shutout of Rutgers last Friday, assisting on Maddy Humphrey’s first-half goal that gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.

OHIO STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
?Iowa leads the all-time series, 45-13. The Hawkeyes are 17-4 when playing the Buckeyes at home.
? Iowa has won its last four meetings against Ohio State. The Hawkeyes won, 4-2, in Columbus last season.
? The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes have played in seven overtime games. Iowa won the most recent overtime contest, 2-1 (Nov. 9, 2008).

BIG TEN IN THE RANKINGS
Three of nine Big Ten schools are ranked in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Poll, released on Oct 13, including Maryland (No. 8), Michigan (No. 14), and Northwestern (No. 16).

LOOKING BACK
The Hawkeyes concluded a five-game road trip last weekend with games at No.16 Michigan on Oct. 9 and Central Michigan on Oct. 11. The Hawkeyes fell to the Wolverines, 4-0, before dominating the Chippewas, 4-1. Junior Chandler Ackers scored two goals in the game.

IOWA’S 2015 RECORD WHEN…
? Scoring first: 8-0
? Leading at the half: 5-0
? Tied at the half: 3-0
? Outshooting opponent: 7-1
? In one-goal games: 2-2
? In 2+ goal games: 6-4
? In overtime: 1-0

TWO SCOOPS, PLEASE
Through 14 games this season, the Hawkeyes have had four players score two or more goals in a single game. Junior Stephanie Norlander leads the way with four, including her second career hat-trick against Saint Louis on Sept. 13. Junior Chandler Ackers and freshman Makenna Grewe have each notched two two-goal games, followed by sophomore Veronique Declercq who has one. The four have combined to score 33 of Iowa’s 42 goals this year.

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 Oct. 13 — No. 3 North Carolina, No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 7 Maryland, No. 12 Stanford, No. 14 Michigan, No. 16 Northwestern, and No. 18 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.

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.

CALL IT A WIN STREAK
From Sept 12-20, the Hawkeyes won four games in a row, defeating the likes of Kent State, Saint Louis, Rutgers, and Missouri State. In those four games, Iowa recorded two shutouts and outscored its opponents, 20-4.

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.

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.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes hit the road one last time this season when they travel to Penn State on Oct. 23. They close out the regular season when they return to Iowa City on Oct. 31 for a Senior Day matchup against Maryland.

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