Iowa Olympic sports notched two of their biggest wins of the season last week, with Hawkeye soccer beating #12 Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and Iowa field hockey putting on a dominant show against #3 Rutgers to win 7-2.
The Hawkeye soccer team fell behind late in the first half but bounced back early in the 2nd half when Samantha Carey lobbed a beautiful cross in from the left side and Kelli McGroarty climbed the ladder to send the header into the back of the net. Just a few minutes later, Sofia Bush was the first to react to a loose ball in the box and poked it home to give Iowa the 2-1 lead against a Spartan squad that bested the Hawks 3-0 just a week earlier. From there, the Iowa defense locked in, absorbing Michigan State's frantic push for an equalizer without allowing a goal, giving Iowa the upset win and the right to play in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals later this week.
On the field hockey side, Iowa picked up a huge win over one of the best teams in the country thanks to another great game from Dionne van Aalsum. She earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the fourth time with a two-goal performance that now has her tied for the all-time freshman goal record at Iowa with 27. She'll have her first crack at breaking the record on Thursday when the Hawkeyes take on Maryland. The Hawks struggled against the top of the Big Ten for much of the regular season, but last week's win should give them a nice confidence boost heading into postseason play.
You can catch up on all of that, plus recaps of the volleyball, cross country, and swimming and diving teams here.
The Hawkeye soccer team fell behind late in the first half but bounced back early in the 2nd half when Samantha Carey lobbed a beautiful cross in from the left side and Kelli McGroarty climbed the ladder to send the header into the back of the net. Just a few minutes later, Sofia Bush was the first to react to a loose ball in the box and poked it home to give Iowa the 2-1 lead against a Spartan squad that bested the Hawks 3-0 just a week earlier. From there, the Iowa defense locked in, absorbing Michigan State's frantic push for an equalizer without allowing a goal, giving Iowa the upset win and the right to play in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals later this week.
On the field hockey side, Iowa picked up a huge win over one of the best teams in the country thanks to another great game from Dionne van Aalsum. She earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the fourth time with a two-goal performance that now has her tied for the all-time freshman goal record at Iowa with 27. She'll have her first crack at breaking the record on Thursday when the Hawkeyes take on Maryland. The Hawks struggled against the top of the Big Ten for much of the regular season, but last week's win should give them a nice confidence boost heading into postseason play.
You can catch up on all of that, plus recaps of the volleyball, cross country, and swimming and diving teams here.
