Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — September 2017 | Week 5 Notes (PDF)
THIS WEEK
The 19th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team continues its east coast road trip this weekend with a pair of Big Ten matches. The Hawkeyes take on No. 10 Maryland at 2 p.m. (CT) on Friday in College Park, Maryland, before facing No. 23 Rutgers at 11 a.m. on Sunday in Piscataway, New Jersey.
FOLLOW ON THE WEB
Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contests via live stats on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “Live Stats” link found on the field hockey schedule page to access the live stats feed. Fans can also follow @IowaFieldHockey on Twitter for live in-game updates.
SCOUTING NO. 10 MARYLAND
• Maryland, the 2016 Big Ten Champions, is off to a 5-2 start with a 1-0 conference mark.
• The Terrapins have wins over Saint Joseph’s (2-1), Towson (8-0), No. 9 Louisville (1-0), and Bucknell (4-1). Maryland got its first conference win last week against Indiana (3-1) in Bloomington, Indiana.
• Head coach Missy Meharg has been at the helm of Maryland’s field hockey program for 30 years. She has led the Terrapins to seven NCAA titles and 23 conference titles.
• Senior midfielder, Lein Holsboer, leads the Terrapins in goals (5) and points (11). She is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in goals and tied for seventh in points in the Big Ten. Holsober was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 18.
• Junior goalkeeper, Sarah Holliday, is 5-2 on the season. She ranks second in the Big Ten in goals against average (1.33) and third in the Big Ten in save percentage (.788). Holliday shutout No. 9 Louisville this season, making four saves.
• The Terrapins are currently on a four-match win streak. Their two losses this season came against No. 2 Duke (2-0) and No. 12 Boston College (2-1).
IOWA VS. MARYLAND — THE SERIES
• Maryland leads the series, 3-11-1.
• The Terrapins won last year’s match, 4-2, at Grant Field.
SCOUTING NO. 23 RUTGERS
• The Scarlet Knights enter the weekend ranked 24th in the NFHCA Rankings with a 5-3 record. Rutgers opens Big Ten play this weekend against Indiana.
• Rutgers started the season with four straight wins over Kent State (4-1), Towson (9-0), Penn (1-0), and No. 23 Old Dominion (5-1). The Scarlet Knights also defeated Cornell, 2-1, this season.
• The Scarlet Knights are nationally ranked for the first time since 2008. They have suffered losses to No. 12 Princeton (4-1), Saint Joseph’s (3-1), and No. 3 Syracuse (4-0).
• Freshman Daphane Groothius leads Rutgers in goals (6) and points (15). She is tied for third in goals and goals per game (0.75) in the Big Ten. Groothius is also tied for fourth in the conference in points.
• Linde van Scaik is second on the team in goals (5) and points (14). She leads the Scarlet Knights in assists and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with four.
• Head coach Meredith Civico enters her sixth season at the helm of Rutgers. She led the Scarlet Knights to nine victories and their second Big Ten Tournament appearance last season.
IOWA VS. RUTGERS — THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the overall series, 6-1-1.
• The Hawkeyes are undefeated when playing in Piscataway, New Jersey.
• Rutgers won the last match, 2-1, at Grant Field last season.
FRESHMEN PRODUCTION
• Four of the seven freshmen on the Hawkeye roster have found the scoresheet this season. Maddy Murphy leads the freshmen class in all categories with six goals, three assists, and 15 points.
• Lizzy Cimilluca has two goals for four points, Ellie Holley has two assists for two points, and Nikki Freeman has recorded one assist so far this season.
• Freshmen were a part of all three goals against Penn last weekend. Murphy scored the first goal of the game. Cimilluca scored to tie the game, and Freeman assisted on the game-winning goal.
HAWKEYES VS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 19 in this week’s NFHCA National Rankings (Sept. 19).Four of Iowa’s five losses have come to top-15 teams, including No. 15 Wake Forest (2-3), No. 1 North Carolina (0-3), No. 13 Stanford (2-3), and No. 2 Penn State (0-3). Iowa will face five more ranked opponents in 2017, four of which are members of the Big Ten. They include: No. 2 Duke, No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 Maryland, No. 14 Northwestern, and No. 23 Rutgers.
ROAD SUCCESS
• The Hawkeyes will play their sixth and seventh road matches this weekend. Iowa has posted a 3-2 mark on the road this season, falling to No. 13 Stanford and No. 3 Penn State.
• Iowa recorded back-to-back shutouts at California (Sept. 3) and UC Davis (Sept. 4). Iowa’s third road victory came over Penn last weekend, 3-2.
• The Hawkeyes have scored 12 goals, while only allowing eight throughout their road matches.
• The Hawkeyes have two more road matches after this weekend. They face No. 4 Duke on Oct. 8 and Michigan State on Oct. 20.
MURPHY Named B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Maddy Murphy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Sept. 11. It was the first honor of Murphy’s career.
• Murphy recorded six points for the Hawkeyes with two goals and two assists in Iowa’s 7-1 victory over New Hampshire on Sept. 10
• Murphy is the first Hawkeye to earn Freshman of the Week honors since Sophie Sunderland was honored on Oct. 18, 2016.
SHARING THE WEALTH
• Twelve different Hawkeyes have gotten on the scoresheet this season, with eight finding the back of the cage.
• Five of Iowa’s newcomers are on the 2017 scoresheet. Maddy Murphy, leads all newcomers in goals (6) and points (15). Murphy and Lucie Daman each have three assists.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Indvidual Stats
• Sophomore Katie Birch, the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, currently leads the Hawkeyes in goals (9), points (20), and shots (36). The sophomore leads the Big Ten in goals (9), goals per game (1.00), and points (20). Birch is eighth in the nation in goals per game.
• Freshman Maddy Murphy is second on the team in goals (6), points (15), and shots (17). Murphy is tied for third in goals and tied for fourth in points in the Big Ten.
• Junior Makenna Grewe leads the Hawkeyes and ranks second in the Big Ten with six assists.
• Junior Melissa Progar is second on the team in assists (4). Progar is tied for fourth in assists in the Big Ten
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING — Team Stats
• The Hawkeyes are ranked third in the Big Ten in goals (23) and points (67).
• Iowa’s 21 assists are the second-highest mark in the Big Ten.
IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Hawkeyes have been selected to the NCAA Tournament 22 times in program history — the most of any school as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes are 26-23 all-time in tournament play, including 9-5 in first round match-ups and 11-6 in second round contests. Iowa has advanced to 11 NCAA Final Fours, winning the 1986 national championship. The Hawkeyes’ 26 tournament victories and 11 NCAA Final Fours are the most of any school as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes return to Grant Field on Friday, Sept. 29, taking on Indiana at 3 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on BTN Admission is free.
LINK UP WITH THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa field hockey program and to access exclusive coverage, “like” The University of Iowa Field Hockey Team on Facebook and follow @IowaFieldHockey on Twitter and Instagram.
