BOSTON, Mass. – The third-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team shut out New Hampshire, 3-0, to notch its third straight victory to open the 2021 season.
Three different Hawkeyes scored and senior Grace McGuire made a pair of saves in Iowa’s first shutout of the season. Iowa’s defense limited the Wildcats to just two shots in the game and the Hawkeyes had a 18-2 advantage in shots.
“Our backfield and goalkeeping were fantastic today,” said Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci. “They organized well and came up with some big tackles to preserve the shutout.”
Right off the bat, junior Esme Gibson notched Iowa’s first goal, putting the Hawkeyes on the board, 1-0, in the fourth minute. Iowa held New Hampshire without a shot in the first 15 minutes.
The Hawkeyes extended their lead in the 27th minute on senior Ellie Holley’s second strike of the season and the lead was pushed to 3-0 when Lokke Stribos scored at the 31:44 mark in the third quarter.
Iowa’s defense allowed a single shot in the second and third quarters and the Hawkeyes had a 7-1 advantage in penalty corners.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LISA CELLUCCI
“UNH is a great team and posed some unique challenges today. It was great to get on the board early and continue to build momentum as the game progressed.”
NOTABLES
- Gibson, Holley, and Stribos’s goals are their second goals of the season. Iowa has scored 11 goals over their first three games.
- This is the second consecutive year Iowa has started with three wins to open the season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will return to action Sunday, facing Boston at noon (CT) at New Balance Field. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+.