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THIS WEEK
The 22nd-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team hosts No. 9 Northwestern Friday at 3 p.m. (CT) and No. 3 Michigan at noon on Sunday at Grant Field. Both matches will be streamed on BTN Plus. Admission is free.
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 NORTHWESTERN
• The Wildcats enter the weekend ranked ninth in the NFHCA polls and third in the Big Ten with a 10-4 (4-1) record.
• All of Northwestern’ s losses have come to top-15 teams, including No. 4 Connecticut (7-0), No. 12 Boston College (3-2) in overtime, No. 2 Duke (1-0), and No. 3 Penn State (4-3).
• Northwestern registered wins over No. 13 Stanford (1-0), No. 15 Louisville (2-0), No. 10 Maryland (3-2), and No. 19 Rutgers (3-2).
• Redshirt junior Pascale Massey’s seven goals lead the Wildcats and are tied for fifth in the Big Ten.
• Junior Puck Pentenga leads the Big Ten in assists (13) and assists per game (0.93). She is also tied for fifth in the Big Ten in points (23).
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Annie Kalfas is fourth in the Big Ten in save percentage (.744) and fifth in goals against average (1.98). Kalfas has the third most saves in the Big Ten (65).
IOWA VS. NORTHWESTERN — THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the overall series, 53-23-4.
• The Hawkeyes are 24-7-2 when playing the Wildcats at Grant Field.
• Iowa and Northwestern split last year matches. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern, 2-1, in Evanston, Illinois. The Wildcats topped the Hawkeyes, 3-1, in the Big Ten Tournament in College Park, Maryland.
• The Wildcats are 3-2 on the road this season.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
• The Wolverines come to Iowa City on an eight match winning streak.
• Michigan is ranked third in the NFHCA Polls and is in first place in the Big Ten with an 11-2 (5-0) record.
• The Wolverines have defeated seven nationally ranked opponents this season, including No. 1 North Carolina (3-2), No. 15 Wake Forest (5-4), No. 25 Liberty (3-0), No. 3 Penn State (3-0), No. 15 Maryland (3-2) in double overtime, No. 20 Rutgers (5-0), and No. 12 Stanford (3-0).
• Michigan’s two losses came to No. 4 Connecticut (2-1), and William & Mary (1-0).
• Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite leads the Big Ten in goals (13) and goals per game (1.00). She also ranks second in points (33) and points per game (2.54).
• Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson leads the Big Ten in save percentage (.817), goals against average (1.10), and shutouts (5).
• The Wolverines have only allowed two goals to Big Ten opponents this season.
IOWA VS. Michigan — THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the overall series, 40-24.
• The Hawkeyes are 11-9 when playing Michigan at Grant Field.
• The last time the Hawkeyes defeated the Wolverines was in 2009.
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 goal and an 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 on Sept. 29
• Emily Deuell tallied her first-career goal against Duke 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, on Sept. 29, 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. 22 in this week’s NFHCA National Rankings (Oct. 10).
• Six of Iowa’s eight 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), No. 23 Rutgers (1-0), and No. 2 Duke (4-2).
• Iowa will face three more ranked opponents in 2017, all of which are members of the Big Ten. They include: No. 3 Michigan, No. 9 Northwestern, and No. 25 Ohio State.
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 Oct. 2. 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 on Sept. 29.
• The sophomore is the second Hawkeye to earn a weekly honor this season. Maddy Murphy was named Freshman of the Week on Sept. 11.
SHARING THE WEALTH
• Thirteen different Hawkeyes have gotten on the scoresheet this season, with 10 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 (5).
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Indvidual Stats
• Sophomore Katie Birch, the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, currently leads the Hawkeyes in goals (12), points (28), and shots (55). The sophomore is second in the Big Ten in goals (12) and goals per game (0.92), and ranks third in points (28) and points per game (2.15).
• Freshman Maddy Murphy is second on the team in goals (7), points (17), and shots (26). Murphy is tied for fifth in goals in the Big Ten.
• Junior Makenna Grewe leads the Hawkeyes and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with eight assists.
• Junior Melissa Progar and graduate student Lucie Danman are second on the team in assists (5).
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Team Stats
• The Hawkeyes are ranked fifth in the Big Ten in points (89), and goals (30).
• Iowa’s 29 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 conclude the regular season next weekend facing Michigan State on Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) in East Lansing, Michigan and hosting No. 25 Ohio State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Grant Field. The Big Ten Quarterfinals begin on Oct. 28.
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.
