Hawkeyes Close Regular Season this Weekend

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — October | Week 9 Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK 
The 25th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team concludes the regular season this weekend. The Hawkeyes face Michigan State at 2 p.m. (CT) on Friday in East Lansing, Michigan and finish the season against Ohio State at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Grant Field. Iowa will honor its seniors before Sunday’s match. 

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 MICHIGAN STATE
• The Spartans enter the weekend ranked sixth in the Big Ten with an 8-8 (2-4) record. They are 2-4 on their home turf. 
• Michigan State has wins over UC Davis (2-1), California (5-4) in double overtime, Vermont (4-3) in overtime, Yale (4-0), Miami (Ohio) (3-2), Ohio State (2-1) in a shootout, Central Michigan (3-0), and Indiana (3-2).  
• The Spartans have suffered seven losses to ranked opponents including, No. 25 Pacific (4-0), No. 21 American (1-0), No. 25 Old Dominion (3-2), No. 10 Virginia (6-1), No. 8 Michigan (6-0), No. 4 Penn State (1-0), No. 17 Maryland (4-1), and No. 18 Rutgers (3-2). 
• Redshirt senior Kendal Anderson leads the Spartan’s with seven goals.
• Senior Sophie Macadre and redshirt senior Simone Vagnoni are second on the team in goals (6). Macarde leads the team in assists (7) and points (19).

IOWA VS. MICHIGAN STATE — THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the overall series, 50-14-1.
• The Hawkeyes are 16-7  when playing in East Lansing, Michigan.   
• Iowa has won the last two matches against the Spartans including, a 5-3 victory, at Grant Field last season.  

SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• Ohio State enters the weekend ranked 24th in the NFHCA Rankings, and seventh in the Big Ten with an 8-7 (1-5) record. 
• The Buckeyes have wins over Lehigh (4-0), No. 9 Louisville (2-1) in overtime, Miami (Ohio) (3-2), Ohio (3-0), No. 11 Stanford (3-2), UC Davis (1-0), California (3-2) in double overtime, and No. 18 Rutgers (2-0).  
• Five of Ohio State’s losses have come to top-25 opponents, all of which are in the Big Ten. 
• Senior Maddy Hamphrey leads Ohio State in goals (7) and points (20). She ranks fifth in goals and goals per game (0.54) in the Big Ten. Hamphrey is also tied for ninth in points and seventh in points per game (0.54). 
• Senior Liz Tamburro is second in the Big Ten in saves (78) and saves per game (5.20). She is also fourth in save percentage (.772), and goals against average (1.87). Tamburro’s four shootouts are the third most in the Big Ten. 

IOWA VS. OHIO STATE — THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the overall series, 46-14.
• The Hawkeyes are 17-5 when playing Ohio State at Grant Field.  
• The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes last year, 3-2, in Columbus, Ohio.
• The Buckeyes are 5-3 on the road 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 nine goals, three assists, and 21 points.
• Lizzy Cimilluca has two goals for four points, Ellie Holley has two assists and one goal for four points, Mya Christopher has one goal for two points, and Nikki Freeman has recorded two goals 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
• Maddy Murphy scored two goals against No. 9 Northwestern last weekend.
• Ellie Holley recorded her first-career goal in the Northwestern match. 
• Nikki Freeman scored her second-career goal against No. 3 Michigan last weekend. She now has two goals in her last three games.  

BIRCH TALLIES NEW CAREER HIGHS
• Sophomore Katie Birch has surpassed her single-season highs in goals, assists, and points. 
• Birch tallied 11 goals, four assists, and 26 points in 17 matches last season on her way to claiming the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• The sophomore recorded four points (one goal and two assists) last weekend giving her 13 goals, six assists, and 32 points in 15 matches this season.   

HAWKEYES CORNER SUCCESS
• Twelve of the Hawkeyes’ last 14 goals have come off of penalty corners. 
• Iowa has scored all of its goals off of corners in four different matches this season. 
• The Hawkeyes were a perfect 5-for-5 on corners in their 7-1 victory over New Hampshire. They were also four for five against No. 9 Northwestern last weekend.

FINDING THE BACK OF THE CAGE
• The Hawkeyes have scored 12 goals in their last four matches including four goals against Indiana and No. 9 Northwestern. 
• Iowa’s four goals against Northwestern were the second-most goals the Wildcats have given up in a match this season, and the most to a Big Ten opponent. 
• The Hawkeyes are only the second Big Ten team to score more than one goal against Michigan this season.

HAWKEYES VS RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 25 in this week’s NFHCA National Rankings (Oct. 10). 
• Seven of Iowa’s 10 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), No. 2 Duke (4-2), No. 9 Northwestern (5-4), and No. 3 Michigan (3-2).  
• No. 24 Ohio State is Iowa’s last ranked opponent of the regular season.

SHARING THE WEALTH
• Thirteen different Hawkeyes have gotten on the scoresheet this season, with 11 finding the back of the cage.
• Six of Iowa’s newcomers are on the 2017 scoresheet. Maddy Murphy leads all newcomers in goals (9) and points (21). Lucie Daman leads the newcomers in assists (7). 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — INDIVIDUAL STATS
• Sophomore Katie Birch, the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, currently leads the Hawkeyes in goals (13), points (32), and shots (60). The sophomore is second in the Big Ten in goals (13) and goals per game (0.87), and ranks third in points (32) and points per game (2.13).     
• Freshman Maddy Murphy is second on the team in goals (9), points (21), and shots (29). Murphy is tied for fourth in goals in the Big Ten. 
• Junior Makenna Grewe leads the Hawkeyes and ranks third in the Big Ten with nine assists. 
• Junior Melissa Progar is second on team and tied for fourth in the Big Ten in assists. (8).
• Graduate student Lucie Danman is tied for fifth in assists in the Big Ten with seven.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — TEAM STATS
• The Hawkeyes are ranked fourth in the Big Ten in points (110), and fifth in goals (36). 
• Iowa’s 38 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 Big Ten Quarterfinals begin on Oct. 28. The quarterfinals will be hosted by the top four teams in the Big Ten.    

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.

 

42662