Olympic Sports Roundup: 11/2

By erut17 on November 2, 2021 at 2:31 pm @erut17
go hawks go
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Going undefeated is hard, no matter how good you are. It's even harder when you play in the best conference in the country. Iowa field hockey nearly completed this extraordinary feat, coming just one game short of a perfect regular season. It was a disappointing loss to be sure, but it shouldn't take away from how much the team has accomplished this season and will likely continue to accomplish throughout the postseason.

Congrats to Coach Lisa Celluci and the entire Iowa field hockey team for an incredible regular season. We can't wait to watch you chase a national championship.

There was good news all around the Iowa campus last week. Let's dive in.

Field Hockey

  • Iowa took on #6 Northwestern last Friday, battling back from an early 1-0 deficit to tie the match at 1-1 in the fourth quarter , before eventually conceding a late goal and falling 2-1.
  • Iowa fell behind early off a Northwestern penalty corner, an unfamiliar spot for the best team in the country. Northwestern was pesky, pressing high and looking to convert on the counterattack, but the Hawks held firm and locked down on defense while looking for an equalizer.
  • The Hawks finally broke through in the 4th quarter when Ciara Smith scored a spectacular diving goal off of a Maddy Murphy pass. Spectacular is honestly an understatement. Just take a look at this goal.
  • Unfortunately, Northwestern answered back only a few moments later, sending a blind backhander into the net and taking a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
  • The loss stings for a team that no doubt wanted the extra accomplishment of an undefeated season, but the Hawkeyes still have all of their goals in front of them. They've secured the top seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and will no doubt have a strong spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. There are spots for them to improve, namely in defending penalty corners, but Iowa is wonderfully positioned for a magical postseason run. They even maintained their #1 ranking despite the loss.
     

Soccer

  • The Iowa soccer team kicked off their Big Ten Tournament run on Halloween, besting 4th-seeded Michigan State 1-0 to earn a spot in the semifinals.
  • The 4/5 matchup was closely contested, with both teams threatening throughout the match. Macy Enneking continued her hot streak from last year's Big Ten Tournament, notching four saves in the first half and six on the game.
  • The breakthrough moment came midway through the second half when Alyssa Walker stole the ball from a Spartan defender and put away the one-on-one shot against the keeper. The Iowa defense was up to the task of seeing the game out from there, securing Iowa's fifth straight conference tournament victory.
  • Iowa's semifinal match is scheduled for Thursday, November 4th at 12:30 PM CT against Rutgers. The match will be televised on BTN.

Volleyball

  • The Iowa volleyball team finally picked up their first conference victory of the year last week, topping Michigan State three sets to one. The Hawkeyes followed it up with a difficult match against Michigan, who dropped them three sets to none.
  • Iowa was in control for most of the match against the Spartans. The offense came out with a balanced attack and the team kept their errors to a minimum. Freshman Addie Vanderwiede led the way with 11 kills and the Hawkeyes came up with a season-high nine blocks. In both the third and fourth sets, Iowa built a sizable lead and refused to let Michigan State back into the set. 
  • Unfortunately, Iowa wasn't able to build on the victory earlier in the week and fell in straight sets to the Wolverines. Many of the Hawks' demons came back to haunt them against Michigan, with Iowa falling behind early in sets and giving up long runs, creating deficits they couldn't come back from. Courtney Buzzerio paced the Hawkeyes with 12 kills and the squad was able to keep the second and third sets close, but ultimately they came up short in those sets.

Cross Country

  • The men's and women's teams competed in the Big Ten Conference Championships this past week. The men's side finished 11th, while the women finished 12th.
  • The men's team was paced by Nick Trattner, who finished 42nd with a time of 25:54. Freshman Kal Lewis was the second-best Hawkeye finisher, placing 54th.
  • Brooke Mckee led the way for the women's team, finishing 52nd with a 21:53 time. Lauren Mcmahon was was close behind, finishing 58th.

Golf

  • The men's golf team took part in the Williams Cup last week, where they finished ninth. The team scored an 895 (+31) for the tournament.
  • Mac McClear placed highest for the Hawks, finishing 23rd at +4. Two other Hawkeyes also finished within the top 50.
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WISCONSIN 27, #9 IOWA 7: BULL RUSHED

welp

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2021: WISCONSIN

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