IOWA CITY, Iowa – The No. 2 University of Iowa field hockey team won its fourth straight contest on Friday blanking Michigan State, 5-0, at Grant Field.
The Hawkeyes held Michigan State (1-7, 1-4) without a shot, marking the third team this season it has held without a shot on goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Iowa (8-1, 5-1) sprinted out a 2-0 advantage after back-to-back goals in the first three minutes. Junior Ciara Smith notched the first goal with the assist by senior Ellie Holley. Senior Maddy Murphy turned around to score the second goal.
The Hawkeyes had two shots in the second quarter and maintained a two-goal cushion after the first 30 minutes.
Iowa opened the second half with another set of back-to-back goals by freshman Alex Wesneski, with an assist from Holley, and sophomore Esme Gibson.
Murphy scored Iowa’s final tally, her second of the contest and fifth of the season, assisted by junior Anthe Nijziel to seal the victory for the Hawkeyes.
HEARING FROM HEAD COACH LISA CELLUCCI
“Our first two shots were fantastic goals and then in was nice to break through in the third and fourth quarters. We feel good about the number of shots we got on cage and the number of corners we drew today. We’re happy because that has been a focus for us. What was so great about today is the variety of ways we scored, which makes a team dangerous.”
HEARING FROM SENIOR MADDY MURPHY
“A lot of the connections today really clicked. We have been working a lot on problem solving in the moment and adapting to change and that has been helpful the last two weekends, especially with getting goals on the board.”
NOTABLES
- Goals by Wesneski, Gibson, and Smith were all their first goals of the season.
- Iowa was credited with nine penalty corners today, tying its season high.
- Iowa recorded a season-high 21 shots, including nine on goal, against the Spartans.
UP NEXT
The second-ranked Hawkeyes will face the Spartans one more time on Sunday at noon (CT) at Grant Field. A limited number of fans are allowed to attend.