IOWA CITY, Iowa – The No. 4 University of Iowa field hockey team (11-4, 5-3) dominated against No. 9 ranked Maryland (6-7, 2-2), 3-0, on Wednesday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals at Grant Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Straight out of the gate, senior Ellie Holley notched Iowa’s first goal assisted by junior Leah Zellner to get Iowa on the board. A minute later, freshman Alex Wesneski added another goal, to give Iowa a 2-0 start.
Before half, Wesneski notched her second goal of the game, to boost Iowa’s lead to 3-0 at half.
Each team had one shot a piece in the third and fourth quarters, but the Hawkeyes held off the Terrapins, claiming the victory and advancing to the Big Ten Semifinals on Thursday afternoon.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LISA CELLUCCI
“It was a dream start. Part of our game plan was to start fast, not frantic. We wanted to put our foot on the gas and really try to get a goal on the board in the first quarter, and wow, we got two. We were on fire. It was awesome. That’s what we we’ve been waiting for – just to come together – and it couldn’t have come together at a better time, at the start of post season.”
HEAR FROM FRESHMAN ALEX WESNESKI
“We’ve been working on scoring early and scoring a lot, and it’s just really nice for all of that to come together right now. We really wanted this game and we’ve been saying we’ve had good vibes all day, so for us to come in and get this win is a really big deal.”
NOTABLES
- This win registers Iowa’s second consecutive win over Maryland and its eighth shutout of the season.
- Wesneski’s goals and Holley’s goal mark each player’s third goal of the season.
- The Hawkeyes outshot the Terrapins, 8-5.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on Thursday, April 22 at 4 p.m. (CT) at Grant Field. The game will air live on Big Ten Network. More information is located on hawkeyesports.com/b1gfh.