No. 12 Maryland (7-4, 3-1 Big Ten) field hockey will continue its road trip this weekend, traveling to Iowa City to take on No. 10 Iowa (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten).
Maryland is coming off a weekend in which it split two games, losing to Ohio State 2-1 and beating Michigan State 2-0.
The Terps come into the game having lost two of their last three games. Maryland’s offense struggled mightily, getting shut out by Princeton and only scoring once against Ohio State.
Maryland will look to get back on track against an Iowa team that is coming off a loss to No. 1 Northwestern. Maryland has dominated the Hawkeyes, holding a 16-3 record all-time and winning five games in a row. Two came last season, with a 5-0 win in the regular season, and a 1-0 shootout win in the Big Ten tournament to end Iowa’s season.
Iowa Preview
Iowa is led by head coach Lisa Cellucci. She has spent 12 years in charge at her alma mater and is in her 26th season on the coaching staff.
Iowa jumped out to a 1-0 lead last week against No. 1 Northwestern, but failed to score the rest of the match, losing 3-1 to the Wildcats. The loss ended Iowa’s six-game winning streak.
Junior midfielder Dionne Van Aalsum leads the offense. She has scored in all nine games for the Hawkeyes and leads the nation in goals per game with 17 goals in just nine games. Freshman midfielder Felicia Zonnenberg leads Iowa in assists with 10.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mia Magnotta leads the defense for the Hawkeyes. She has made 46 saves this season, including 11 against Northwestern. Magnotta has a .719 save percentage this year.
Can Maryland Bounce Back?
The Terps are coming off a disappointing weekend that included a 2-1 overtime loss to then-unranked Ohio State. The offense has struggled all season and will look to get going in a critical Big Ten matchup against the Hawkeyes.
Maryland will especially need to focus on containing Van Aaslum. The Terps haven’t shut down star players in some previous games this year, allowing Princeton’s Beth Yeager to score, and Ohio State’s Makenna Webster to end the game in overtime despite preventing a shot attempt in regulation.
