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THIS WEEK
The 23rd-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team faces No. 2 Duke on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) at Jack Katz Stadium.
Follow on The Web
Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contests via live stats on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “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.
SCOUTING DUKE
• Head coach Pam Bustin is in her sixth year at the helm of the Blue Devils. She led Duke to its first ACC regular season title and its fifth consecutive NCAA quarterfinals in 2016.
• The Blue Devils enter the weekend ranked No. 2 in the NFHCA polls. They have a 9-1 record and are undefeated against Big Ten opponents, defeating No. 6 Maryland (2-0) and No. 14 Northwestern (1-0).
• Including Maryland and Northwestern, Duke has defeated seven top-25 teams this season, including No. 15 James Madison (3-1), No. 11 Louisville (5-0), No. 15 Princeton (2-1), No. 9 Boston College (3-2), and No. 22 Boston University (5-1). Duke’s only loss came against No. 10 Virginia (4-1).
• Junior Rose Tynan is third in the ACC in goals (9) and points (21).
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sammi Steele leads the ACC in saves (38), and ranks second in goals against average (.863) and shutouts (5).
IOWA VS. DUKE — THE SERIES
• Duke leads the overall series, 4-2.
• The Hawkeyes are 1-1 against the Blue Devils at Jack Katz Stadium.
• The Blue Devils won the last match against the Hawkeyes, 2-1, at Grant Field in 2008.
• The last time Iowa defeated Duke was in 2007. The Hawkeyes won the match, 2-0, at Jack Katz Stadium.
• Duke is 3-0 on its home turf this season.
FRESHMEN PRODUCTION
• Five of the seven freshmen on the Hawkeye roster have found the scoresheet this season. Maddy Murphy leads the freshmen class in all categories with seven goals, three assists, and 17 points.
• Lizzy Cimilluca has two goals for four points, Ellie Holley has two assists for two points, Mya Christopher has one goal for two points, and Nikki Freeman has recorded one assist so far this season.
• Freshmen were a part of all three goals against Penn on Sept. 17. Murphy scored the first goal of the game. Cimilluca scored to tie the game, and Freeman assisted on the game-winning goal.
• Mya Christopher recorded her first-career goal in Iowa’s 4-3 win over Indiana at Grant Field last weekend.
BIRCH’S HAT TRICK LEADS HAWKEYES
• Sophomore Katie Birch registered the third hat trick of her career and second this season to lead the Hawkeyes past Indiana, 4-3, last Friday at Grant Field.
• Birch recorded her first hat trick of the season against New Hampshire on Sept. 10. Her first career hat trick came in the Hawkeyes 11-0 victory over Saint Louis (Sept. 4, 2016).
HAWKEYES VS RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 23 in this week’s NFHCA National Rankings (Oct. 3).
• Six of Iowa’s seven losses have come to top-25 teams, including No. 15 Wake Forest (3-2), No. 1 North Carolina (3-0), No. 13 Stanford (3-2), No. 2 Penn State (3-0), No. 10 Maryland (2-1), and No. 23 Rutgers (1-0).
• Iowa will face three more ranked opponents in 2017, two of which are members of the Big Ten. They include: No. 2 Duke, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 10 Northwestern.
MAGIC NUMBER 3
• The Hawkeyes are undefeated when scoring three or more goals in a match this season.
• Iowa’s wins have come over California (3-0), UC Davis (4-0), New Hampshire (7-1), Penn (3-2), and Indiana (4-3).
BIRCH NAMED B1G OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore Katie Birch is the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. It is the third weekly honor of Birch’s career and her first Offensive Player of the Week honor.
• Birch registered her third career hat trick and added an assist for a total of seven points in Iowa’s 4-3 victory over Indiana.
• The sophomore is the second Hawkeye to earn a weekly honor this season. Maddy Murphy was named Freshman of the Week on Sept. 11.
HAWKEYES SHOW STRONG DEFESNE
• The Hawkeyes have faced 24 penalty corners in the last six matches and have turned away 21.
• Senior goalkeeper Katie Jones has made 27 saves and freshman Mya Christopher has a defensive save in Iowa’s last six matches.
• Sophomore Katie Birch blocked Indiana’s shot on a corner with no time left in the match to secure Iowa’s, 4-3, win last Friday.
• The Hawkeyes have not allowed more than three goals in a match this season.
• Five out of Iowa’s seven losses have been one goal deficits.
SHARING THE WEALTH
• Thirteen different Hawkeyes have gotten on the scoresheet this season, with nine finding the back of the cage.
• Six of Iowa’s newcomers are on the 2017 scoresheet. Maddy Murphy leads all newcomers in goals (7) and points (17). Lucie Daman leads the newcomers in assists (4).
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Indvidual Stats
• Sophomore Katie Birch, the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, currently leads the Hawkeyes in goals (12), points (27), and shots (52). The sophomore leads the Big Ten in goals (12) and goals per game (1.00), and ranks second in points (27) and points per game (2.25).
• Freshman Maddy Murphy is second on the team in goals (7), points (17), and shots (20). Murphy is tied for fourth in goals and sixth in points in the Big Ten.
• Junior Makenna Grewe leads the Hawkeyes and ranks third in the Big Ten with eight assists.
• Junior Melissa Progar is second on the team in assists (5). Progar is tied for fourth in assists in the Big Ten.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Team Stats
• The Hawkeyes are ranked fourth in the Big Ten in points (83), and tied for fourth in goals (28).
• Iowa’s 27 assists are the third-highest mark in the Big Ten.
IOWA 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.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes return to Grant Field next weekend, hosting No. 10 Northwestern on Friday at 3 p.m. (CT), and No. 4 Michigan on Sunday at noon. Both matches will air on BTN plus.
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.
