Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Hawk Talk Monthly — June | WEEK 2 NOTES (PDF)
THIS WEEK
The 20th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team opens its home slate this weekend. On Friday, the Hawkeyes face off against Dartmouth at 3 p.m. (CT), followed by a match against Ball State on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (CT). Admission is free.
PROMOTIONS
• Friday is Dollar Dog Night. All hotdogs will be available for $1. Team posters will be available for pick up.
• Sunday is Fan Fest. Inflatable play houses, face paint, and tattoos are a few of the entertainment items available. Weather permitting, entertainment will be available until 2:30 near the Grant Field entrance.
WATCH LIVE
Saturday and Sunday’s matches will be streamed live on BTN Plus. To see if your cable package
gives you access to BTN Plus content, sign up for BTN Plus, or learn more about it visit btn2go.
com.
FOLLOW ON THE WEB
Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contest 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 DARTMOUTH
• Dartmouth’s first game of the season will be on Friday at Grant Field.
• Last season, Dartmouth went 7-10 and finished seventh in the Ivy League.
• Amy Fowler, a former three-time All-American at Iowa, is in her 19th season as the Dartmouth head coach. She owns a career record of 145-166 and became Dartmouth’s all-time winningest coach in 2014.
• Along with Fowler, associate head coach Pattie Gillern played at Iowa and was a team captain in 2003.
• Junior Katie Spanos, a second team All-Ivy League selection, led Dartmouth in goals (9), assists (9), and points (29) last season. Senior Gemma Bautista, who was second on the team in goals (8) and points (19), also returns as one of Dartmouth’s key attackers. Senior goalkeeper Hailey Valerio had 115 saves last season, which were the third most by a Big Green keeper in the last eight years.
• Dartmouth averaged 2.41 goals per game, while allowing 3.82 goals per game last season.
• This is Iowa’s first matchup against Dartmouth in program history.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
• Ball State is 0-2 this season with losses to Saint Francis (0-2) and Indiana (0-4).
• Ball State was 5-12 overall and 1-5 in the MAC a year ago.
• The Cardinals are led by first-year head coach Stephanie Bernthal, who previously coached at Richmond as an assitant. Bernthal helped Richmond to 42 wins in four years.
• Four Cardinals tallied at least seven points last season.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Grace Chavez, who had 74 saves last season, returns for the Cardinals.
• Iowa is 24-2 against Ball State, dating back to 1983. Most recently, the Hawkeye beat Ball State 4-1 at home in 2016.
WEEKEND RECAP
The Hawkeyes came away 1-1 at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge where they faced off against two top-14 opponents last weekend. On Saturday, Iowa defeated No. 14 Wake Forest, 2-1, behind goals from Katie Birch and Maddy Murphy. In game two on Sunday, the Hawkeyes battled to a 2-1 overtime loss against No. 2 North Carolina.
HAWKEYE HIGHLIGHTS
• In two career starts, junior goalkeeper Leslie Speight has registered 17 saves for an .850 save percentage.
• Junior Katie Birch scored Iowa’s first goal of the season for the second straight year.
• Six freshmen — Meghan Conroy, Anthe Nijziel, Lokke Stribos, Leah Zellner, Makenna Maguire, and Cat Nicholson — made their Hawkeye debuts last weekend.
• Stribos was the first freshman to register a point this season after assisting Maddy Murphy on Iowa’s lone goal against North Carolina.
• Murphy has scored a goal in both of Iowa’s games this season.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
• Eleven of Iowa’s 15 shots have been on goal this season.
• Iowa scored 45 goals last season, while scoring four or more goals in five games.
• Iowa’s 2.50 goals per game were the fifth most in the Big Ten last season.
• The Hawkeyes had 45 assists and averaged 2.50 per game last year, which was the second most in the Big Ten.
• Iowa allowed an average of 2.33 goals per game last season, best for third in the Big Ten.
• Katie Birch led the team in goals (14), points (36), shots (68), and shots on goal (45) last year.
• Last year, sophomore Maddy Murphy had 11 goals on 25 shots and 25 points, both of which were second most on the team.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Eight of Iowa’s 2018 opponents are ranked in the top-25 of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Rankings (8/20). They include: No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 14 Wake Forest, No. 15 Stanford, and No. 24 Ohio State.
B1G PRESEASON HONOREES
• Katie Birch, Maddy Murphy, and Sophie Sunderland earned preseason All-Big Ten recognition, announced by the conference on Aug. 20.
• Birch, a junior midfielder, started all 18 games in 2017. She scored a team-leading 14 goals — the third most in the Big Ten — and recorded eight assists for a total of 36 points. The York, England, native registered two hat-tricks in route to NFHCA third team All-America honors, NFHCA first team All-West Region honors, and first team All-Big Ten honors last season.
• Murphy, a sophomore forward, started all 18 games last season. She led the team with three game-winning goals and was second on the team with 11 goals and 25 points. In games against New Hampshire and Northwestern, she scored two goals. Last season, she was an NFHCA second team All-West Regional selection, second team All-Big Ten selection, and was named to the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.
• Sunderland, a junior midfielder, started all 18 games and scored four goals on 10 shots, best for third on the team. The Ipswich, England, native has started all 37 games of her career.
ROZ ELLIS RETURNS
A former two-time first team All-Big Ten selection for Iowa from 2005-08 is back with the Hawkeyes as an assistant coach. Roz Ellis, who anchored the Hawkeye defense and helped lead Iowa to three straight Big Ten Tournament Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, started all 83 games, scored 14 goals, and recorded 11 assists in her career. As a senior and team captain in 2008, Ellis earned multiple national and conference accolades, while also reaching the Final Four, which was Iowa’s first appearance since 1999. Following her playing career, Ellis was an assistant coach at five different schools before returning to her alma mater.
4 HAWKEYS SELECTED FOR YOUNG WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
• Sophomores Mya Christopher, Nikki Freeman, Emily Deuell, and Grace McGuire were selected to compete at the 2018 Young Women’s National Championships from June 25-29.
• The Young Women’s National Championship is a high-level, international structured competition that serves as the selection avenue to the Junior National Camps, U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team and the U.S. Women’s National Development Squad Camp.
BIRCH COMPETES INTERNATIONALLY
Junior Katie Birch, a York, England, native, competed for the England U21 National Team in a series against Ireland in Belfast, Ireland in mid August. Birch was selected to the national team after participating in a development training camp. England won the series.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes head to Durham, New Hampshire, for games against Providence (Sep. 8) and New Hampshire (Sep. 9) next weekend. Both games start at 1 p.m. (CT).
