B1G Tournament Preview

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THIS WEEK
• No. 7 University of Iowa field hockey travels to University Park, Pennsylvania for the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. Second-seeded Iowa will face seventh-seeded Ohio State in the first round Thursday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. (CT).
• With a win over Ohio State, the Hawkeyes would advance to the semifinals and face third-seeded Northwestern or sixth-seeded Rutgers. 

FOLLOW ON THE WEB
• Iowa field hockey fans can follow along via live stats on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “Live Stats” link found on the field hockey schedule page.  
• Fans can also follow @IowaFieldHockey on Twitter for in-game updates.
• Thursday and Friday’s games will be streamed live on BTN+. The Big Ten tournament final will be streamed on BTN. 

WEEKEND RECAP
• No. 9 Iowa took down No. 8 Michigan on Sunday, hoisting the Big Ten regular season trophy in Ann Arbor. The Hawkeyes clinched a share of the title with Maryland after defeating Michigan 1-0.  Iowa rounded out the regular season with a 13-4 (7-1) record.   
• Against Michigan, sophomore Lokke Stribos scored the match’s lone goal in the 18th minute, assisted by juniors Ellie Holley and Maddy Murphy off a corner. Iowa’s title was the 13th in program history. 

BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
• Head coach Lisa Cellucci was named 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday. This is Iowa’s first Big Ten Coach of the Year since 2004. 
• Lisa Cellucci is in her 20th season as a member of the Hawkeye coaching staff in 2019 and her sixth as head coach. Cellucci, a three-time All-American and member of the U.S. National Team, is  the all-time saves leader at Iowa. In her 20 years at Iowa, the Hawkeyes have compiled a 222-149 record and have been consistently ranked in the NFHCA top 20. Cellucci has primarily coached goalkeepers and defense.
• In her five years as head coach, Cellucci has coached seven NFHCA All-Americans, 15 NFHCA All-West Regional selections, two NFHCA West Region Players of the Year, 17 All-Big Ten selections (eight first team), three Big Ten Offensive Players of the Year, one Big Ten Freshman of the Year, 40 Academic All-Big Ten selections, 41 NFHCA National Academic Squad honorees, four Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, and three NFHCA National Academic Team honors.

ALL-B1G SELECTIONS
• Senior Katie Birch was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection, becoming Iowa’s first unanimous selection since Natalie Cafone in 2016. It’s Birch’s second career first-team selection and fourth overall after notching six goals and 10 assists this season. The York, England, native collected 22 points and started all 17 games for the Hawkeyes as a team captain. 
• Junior Maddy Murphy earned her second first-team All-Big Ten honor, leading the team in goals (11) and ranking second in assists (9). The Riana, Tasmania, native had her second career hat trick against Indiana on Oct. 18. 
• Sophomore Anthe Nijziel earned her second career postseason All-Big Ten selection after being named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team last season. She was named to the All-Big Ten second team this season after recording six goals and one assist for 13 points this season. The Eindhoven, Netherlands native started all 17 games, played every minute of action, and was an integral part in Iowa’s defense. 

B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Last season, the Hawkeyes advanced to the Big Ten Title game, knocking off Penn State, 3-2, and Michigan, 2-1, before falling to Maryland, 2-1. 
• The Hawkeyes are 31-21 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament, which is tied for the second most in the conference. 
• Iowa has won five Big Ten Tournament titles (1981, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2008) in program history, which is the third most in the conference.  

SCOUTING OHIO STATE (9-8, 3-5)
• Ohio State is now (9-8, 3-5) heading into the postseason, facing top-15 competition from No. 11 Virginia (L, 2-1), No. 8 Louisville (L, 2-1), No. 11 Northwestern (L, 4-1), No. 8 Iowa (L, 2-1),   No. 11 Michigan (L, 2-1 OT), and No. 2 Maryland (L, 6-3).
• Freshman Mackenzie Allessie leads the Buckeyes in goals (15) and total points (35). Senior Esther Clotet Alsina holds the team’s mark in assists (7). Twelve Buckeyes have recorded goals on the season and 11 have notched assists. 
• Goalkeeper Aaliayah Hernandez has started all 17 games for the Buckeyes, collecting 71 saves. 
• The Buckeye coaching staff is led by Jarred Martin, who took the helm in Columbus in 2016 after a 10-year coaching stint at Duke University. 

IOWA VS. OHIO STATE — THE SERIES
• The Hawkeyes lead the series 49-14 all-time, holding a 11-2 record in neutral site games. 
• Iowa defeated Ohio State in the regular season, 2-0, at Grant Field on Sept. 27. 
• The last time Iowa faced Ohio State in the postseason, the Hawkeyes won the 2004 Big Ten Championship, 2-1, in overtime. 

WHERE THEY’RE RANKED
• Iowa not only ranks seventh nationally, but holds high marks among statistical categories across the NCAA. 
• Iowa ranks top-10 in the nation in scoring margin (6th), assists per game (7th), total points per game (7th), goals per game (8th), and scoring average (9th). 
• Iowa is second in the Big Ten in goals per game (3.18), shots (284), points (152), and goals (54), and ranks third in assists (44) and assists per game (2.59).

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING 
• Junior Maddy Murphy leads the team in goals (11), followed by sophomore Lokke Stribos (8).  Sophomores Anthe Nijziel, Leah Zellner, and senior Katie Birch all follow with six goals each. Eight additional Hawkeyes have scored at least one goal. 
• Murphy ranks fourth in the Big Ten in total points (31) and fourth in points per game (1.82).
• Birch leads the team and ranks third in the Big Ten in assists (10), followed by Murphy (9) and Ellie Holley (9) who are tied for fifth among the conference.
• Three Hawkeyes have recorded hat tricks this season including Murphy, Sunderland, and Holley. Murphy tabbed her hat trick against Indiana in the 6-1 victory, Sunderland recorded hers in the 11-0 win against Central Michigan, and Holley’s was against Michigan State in Iowa’s 5-0 win.
• Senior goalkeeper Leslie Speight has 35 saves this season. Sophomore Grace McGuire recorded four saves in her start over No. 18 Rutgers. 

B1G COMPETITION
The Big Ten Conference boasts six ranked programs in the latest 2019 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll: No. 2 Maryland, No. 7 Iowa, No. 10 Michigan, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 16 Rutgers, and No. 22 Ohio State. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The NCAA Tournament begins Nov. 15-17 with the first and second rounds at host sites. The NCAA Final Four is Nov. 22-24 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. 
 

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