KENT, Ohio — The No. 19 University of Iowa field hockey team shutout Monmouth, 4-0, on Saturday handing the Hawks their first loss of the season. The game was played at Murphy-Mellis Field on the campus of Kent State University.
“This was a great win against a very good Monmouth team,” UI head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “We stuck to the game plan, we let the ball do the work and we capitalized on opportunities. We need to recover and prepare for a great Kent State team tomorrow.”
The Hawkeyes (4-1) scored their first goal in the 22nd minute when freshman Katie Birch scored off a corner. Sophomore Makenna Grewe took the corner, and Birch buried the shot from the right side of the cage to give Iowa a 1-0 advantage.
Redshirt senior Natalie Cafone added to the Hawkeyes lead in the 30th minute with her fifth goal of the season to extend the Hawkeyes’ lead to 2-0.
In the second half, Iowa continued its scoring in the 60th minute when senior Sophie Plasteras scored on a rebound. Cafone took a shot that went wide off the cage, but Plasteras was there to put the second opportunity in the cage.
Grewe rounded out Iowa’s scoring in the 62nd minute. Cafone, who had a hand in three of Iowa’s four goals (1 goal, 2 assists), drove down the left side of the box and passed the ball over to Grewe who finished.
Iowa totaled 24 shots in the victory with Birch leading the team with eight shots. A strong Iowa defense allowed only five shots and senior goaltender Alexandra Pecora registered one save in the shutout and fourth win of the season.
The Hawkeyes are back in action tomorrow as they take on Kent State at 11 a.m. (CT).