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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa field hockey team dropped its second conference loss of the season falling, 4-2, to No. 6 Maryland Friday afternoon at Grant Field.
“There is a lot that of positives we can take away from this game,” said UI head coach Lisa Cellucci. “We can’t have a negative outlook, we have to take the positives from today and get ready for a really good Rutgers team on Sunday.”
Iowa (6-3, 0-2) opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Redshirt senior Natalie Cafone took the ball from the other side of midfield, beat a hand full of Maryland players and placed the shot in the corner of the cage to give Iowa a 1-0 lead.
After a pair of Maryland (7-1, 2-0) goals, The Hawkeyes were able to even the contest in the 49th minute. Iowa capitalized on a one-player advantage due to a green card that was given to a Maryland player a few seconds earlier. Cafone tailed her second goal of the game and team-leading 10th of the season, when she tipped senior Chandler Ackers’ shot into the cage to tie the game, 2-2.
A pair of goals from Maryland’s Linnea Gonzales in the final 10 minutes helped the Terrapins regain the lead and give them a two-goal advantage and secure the 4-2 victory.
Iowa had a total of seven shots and also had four penalty corners. Senior goalkeeper Alexandra Pecora made six saves in the loss.
The Hawkeyes are back in action Sunday as they continue conference play. Iowa will host Rutgers at noon (CT) at Grant Field. Admission is free to the public.