Iowa Faces No. 10 Michigan Thursday in B1G Tournament

Nov. 3, 2015

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa field hockey team begins postseason play this week at the 2015 Big Ten Tournament. The seventh-seeded Hawkeyes (9-9, 2-6) will face No. 2-seeded and 10th-ranked Michigan (15-3, 7-1) in the opening round on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. (CT). This year’s tournament is held at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The winner of Thursday’s contest advances to face Indiana or Penn State in the second semifinal on Friday at 3 p.m. For complete coverage of the Big Ten Tournament, visit http://bit.ly/1H3nSv9.

WATCH LIVE
BTN will provide live television coverage of the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament.

FOLLOW ON THE WEB
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. 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
• Iowa’s 49 assists rank third in the Big Ten and ninth in the country. The Hawkeyes average 2.72 assists per game, ranking 12th nationally and third in the conference.
• Iowa’s average of 8.17 points per game is tied for 18th in the country and third in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have tallied 147 points in 18 games, tied for 14th nationally.
• Iowa’s 49 goals are tied for the 16th most in the country. The Hawkeyes’ average of 2.72 goals per game is tied for 22nd nationally.
• The Hawkeyes are outscoring their opponents, 49-37, and average a 0.66 margin of victory — 27th best in the country.
• Iowa has tallied 130 penalty corners this season, which is the 15th most in the country. Iowa’s average of 7.22 penalty corners per game ranks 18th nationally.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING — INDIVIDUAL STATS
• Junior Stephanie Norlander is tied for ninth in the country in points scored with 36. Her average of two points per game ranks 16th nationally and tops in the Big Ten.
• Norlander’s 16 goals in 2015 are a single-season career high. Her mark currently leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the country. Norlander’s average of 0.94 goals per game ranks ninth in the NCAA.
• Freshman Makenna Grewe and sophomore Melissa Progar are among the best in the country when it comes to assists. Grewe is tied for 16th in the country in assists with 11, while Progar is tied for 21st with 10. Grewe’s average of 0.61 assists per game is ranks 22nd nationally, while her four-assist game against Saint Louis (Sept. 13) is tied with three other players for a 2015 NCAA single game high.
• Grewe’s 25 points are the fifth most among all Division I freshman. Her average of 1.39 points per game is tied for ninth in the Big Ten.

Hawkeyes in the B1G Tournament
The Hawkeyes have won five Big Ten Tournament titles (1981, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2008) in program history, including three-straight from 2006-08. Iowa joins Penn State and Michigan as the only schools to win five or more tournament titles. Iowa is 29-17 (.630) all-time in the conference tournament. The 29 wins are the most by any Big Ten school. In 2014, the Hawkeyes fell to eventual tournament champion Northwestern, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
• 2015: 15-3, 7-1 Big Ten
• Last Weekend: Defeated Ohio State, 3-0, at home.
• Leading Scorers: Lauren Thomas (22 points, 9 goals, 4 assists); Shannon Scavelli (21 points, 9 goals, 3 assists)
• Goalkeeper: Sam Swenson (15-3, 0.80 GAA, 67 saves, .827 save percentage, 3 shutouts)
• Head Coach: Marcia Pankratz (16th season)

MICHIGAN VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
• Iowa is 40-22 all-time against Michigan, including 12-4 when playing in neutral site contests.
• Iowa and Michigan met in the regular season on Oct. 9 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines came away with a 4-0 shutout victory.
• In the first ever meeting between the two schools (1978), the Hawkeyes topped the Wolverines, 2-0.
•Since 2010, the Hawkeyes have gone 1-8 against the Wolverines. Iowa last defeated Michigan in 2013, when the Hawkeyes won 1-0 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

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 Nov. 3, including Maryland (No. 7), Michigan (No. 10), and Northwestern (No. 17).

LOOKING BACK
The Hawkeyes fell in heartbreaking fashion for the third time this season, losing at home to No. 6 Maryland in double overtime on Oct. 31. The Hawkeyes and Terrapins battled toe-to-toe before Maryland’s Lein Holsboer scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Sophomore Mallory Lefkowitz scored Iowa’s lone goal in the loss.

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: 2-4
• In 2+ goal games: 7-5
• In overtime: 1-1

TWO SCOOPS, PLEASE
The Hawkeyes have had four players score two or more goals in a single game this season. Junior Stephanie Norlander leads the way with five, 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.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Of Iowa’s 18 opponents in 2015, seven are currently ranked in the most recent NFHCA Division I Poll released on Nov. 3 — No. 3 North Carolina, No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 7 Maryland, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Stanford, No. 16 James Madison, and No. 17 Northwestern.

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.

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.