IOWA CITY, Iowa – In a game that lived up to its No. 1 vs. No. 2 hype, junior Sofie Stribos clinched the shootout, sending the top-ranked University of Iowa field to a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Michigan on Friday afternoon in front of a near-record crowd of 1,236 fans at Grant Field.
The Hawkeyes moved to 15-0 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play after coming away victorious in one of the biggest matchups of the season. Iowa has eight wins against nationally ranked opponents this season, including seven against top-seven ranked foes.
“I was nervous at first, but I was saying to myself ‘This is the moment when you take it for your team and you do it for them’,” said Stribos, a Belgium native. “That’s what I did. I am proud of the team. I can’t even express it right now. We work hard for each other every day, and then we have these days where we can show it and that’s amazing.”
The Hawkeyes outshot the Wolverines, 14-10, and The Great Wall of Iowa held the Wolverines to just two shots on goal during regulation. Senior goalkeeper Grace McGuire made four saves throughout the game and made four stops during the shootout to lead the Hawkeyes to the victory.
“It’s nerve-wracking, but at the end of the day, you do it a lot in training and you just have to rely on your training,” said McGuire of the shootout. “Your body knows what to do.”
After a scoreless first half, Michigan’s Kathryn Peterson notched the game’s first goal in the 33rd minute despite the Wolverines playing short-handed due to a green card. It put the Hawkeyes in an unfamiliar territory, as it was the first time the team trailed all season.
Iowa kept pushing forward. With a little under three minutes remaining in the game, senior Anthe Nijziel put away a goal off a penalty corner to tie the game at one. Seniors Maddy Murphy and Ellie Holley were credited with the assist on a strike that sent the game into overtime.
The Hawkeyes had a golden opportunity in second overtime to put the game away when Michigan was called for a penalty stroke. Freshman Leive Schalk’s shot attempt hit the cross bar, essentially sending the game to the shootout.
The first seven offensive players (for both teams) came up empty in the shootout with Michigan goalkeeper Anna Spieker and McGuire standing tall. Senior Lokke Stribos scored Iowa’s first goal before Peterson answered, making it 1-1.
As the last shooter in the lineup, Sofie Stribos sealed the victory and the Hawkeyes weathered the second field swarm in Iowa City this week.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LISA CELLUCCI
“It was an unbelievable crowd they truly were our 12th man today. To have that type of support show up at a field hockey game, it certainly helped our team and helped propel them through it, certainly at the end. It was truly unbelievable.”
On the team in the shootout…
“We really asked them to rely on their body of work and skill level because we’ve never had to come from behind, but in so many games they’ve had to make big plays and they’ve done it over and over so we knew we could. I’m really glad to be able to see us execute it.”
NOTABLES
- This is the first time Grant Field has seen a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
- Nijziel’s goal was her fourth of the season.
- Iowa fans, including a couple of hundred Iowa student-athletes, stormed Grant Field for the first time in program history.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will host No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday at noon (CT) at Grant Field. The game will be live streamed on BTN+.
