Hawkeyes Set for Final B1G Road Trip

Oct. 21, 2015

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa field hockey team hits the road for the final time this season when it travels to Pennsylvania for a matchup with Penn State. The Hawkeyes face the Nittany Lions on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.

WATCH LIVE
This Friday’s game at Penn State will be televised live on BTN with Dean Linke and Kara Lentz on the call.

FOLLOW ON THE WEB
Iowa field hockey fans can follow this Friday’s matchup 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.

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 16 games, Iowa has tallied the second most assists in the Big Ten and the fourth most in the country with 47. The Hawkeyes average 2.94 assists per game, ranking seventh nationally and second in the conference.
• Iowa’s average of 8.69 points per game ranks 15th in the country and third in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have tallied 139 points in 16 games, the 10th most nationally.
• Iowa’s 46 goals are the 13th most in the country. The Hawkeyes’ average of 2.88 goals per game ranks 17th nationally.
• The Hawkeyes are outscoring their opponents, 46-32, and average a 0.87 margin of victory – 24th best in the country.
• Iowa has tallied 121 penalty corners this season, which is tied for the sixth most in the country. Iowa’s average of 7.56 penalty corners per game ranks 14th nationally.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING — INDIVIDUAL STATS
• Junior Stephanie Norlander ranks seventh in the country in points scored with 32. Her average of two points per game is tied for 13th nationally and ranks second in the Big Ten.
• Norlander’s 14 goals in 2015 are tied for the most in the Big Ten and fourth in the country. Her average of 0.88 goals per game is tied for eighth 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 11, while Progar is tied for eighth with 10. Grewe’s average of 0.69 assists per game is tied for 10th 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 25 points are the second most among all Division I freshman – Roos Weers, Syracuse (33) — and are tied for 21st nationally. Her average of 1.56 points per game ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 34th nationally.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
• 2015: 6-9, 2-4 Big Ten
• Last Weekend: Defeated Rutgers, 3-2, in overtime on the road; fell at Indiana, 1-0
• Leading Scorers: Stephanie Hussey (14 points, 6 goals, 2 assists); Brooke Birosik (14 points, 6 goals, 2 assists)
• Goalkeeper: Jenny Rizzo (6-9, 1.60 GAA, 68 saves, .731 save percentage)
• Head Coach: Charlene Morett-Curtiss (29th season)

PENN STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
• Iowa is 25-21-1 all-time against Penn State. Iowa is 5-11 when playing in University Park, Pennsylvania.
• Since 2010, the Hawkeyes are 2-5 when facing the Nittany Lions. Iowa’s two wins came in each of the past two seasons. The Hawkeyes shutout the Nittany Lions, 4-0, at home in 2014, and notched a 4-3 overtime victory in the semifinals of the 2013 Big Ten Tournament.
• Twenty-two of the 47 games played between Iowa and Penn State have been decided by one goal. The Hawkeyes are 15-7 in those games.
• Nine games between Iowa and Penn State have gone into overtime, including four double-overtime games. The Hawkeyes hold a 8-1 advantage in overtime games.

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. 20, including Maryland (No. 6), Michigan (No. 11), and Northwestern (No. 16).

LOOKING BACK
The Hawkeyes were back at Grant Field last weekend, hosting Michigan State (Oct. 16) and Ohio State (Oct. 18). The Hawkeyes went 1-1 on the weekend, topping the Spartans, 3-1, before falling to the Buckeyes, 3-1.

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

TWO SCOOPS, PLEASE
Through 16 games this season, the Hawkeyes have had four play¬ers 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 a pair of 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.

DECLERCQ AND PENALTY CORNERS GO HAND-IN-HAND
Sophomore Veronique Declercq has become Iowa’s go-to player on penalty corners this season. All six of Declercq’s goals this season have come via penalty corners. She scored her first career goal in Iowa’s 7-0 shutout victory over Saint Louis on Sept. 13.

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. 20 — No. 3 North Carolina, No. 6 Maryland, No. 7 Wake Forest, No. 11 Michigan, No. 13 Stanford, No. 16 Northwestern, and No. 19 James Madison.

GREWE NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman Makenna Grewe was named Big Ten Conference Fresh¬man 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, defeat¬ing 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 sopho¬mores 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 sum¬mer.

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.

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 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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