Iowa Olympic Sports: Field hockey, soccer go up, volleyball goes down

This is exciting, everyone. For the first time in what feels like an eternity, this weekly staple that all of you wait on pins and needles for each Tuesday features writing about the Hawkeye soccer team winning.

For as bad of a weekend it was for that sport that plays over in Kinnick, it was a pretty OK weekend for the other teams on Iowa’s campus, too.

Soccer

Field hockey’s win probably meant more in the grand scheme of things, but because Dave DiIanni and company picked up their first win in the month of October, they’re getting the lead spot today. The Hawkeyes bested Maryland in a battle of the Big Ten’s basement dwellers, earning a 2-0 victory Friday afternoon in College Park, Maryland.

Karly Stuenkel was in on both goals, assisting Bri Toelle in the 24th minute and icing the game with a score of her own at the 83:30 mark. The team defense was better than it had been in previous weeks, allowing only seven shots compared to 11 the contest prior.

Iowa’s record now sits at 8-10 overall and 2-8 in conference. The last game of the Hawkeye regular season is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Field Hockey

Head coach Lisa Cellucci’s team hosted its senior day Friday, taking down Michigan State with a 5-3 victory to move to into a three-way tie for fifth place in the league with Indiana and Sparty, both of which Iowa has taken down this season.

Natalie Cafone registered a hat trick in the first 20 minutes of her final game at Grant Field, Sophie Sunderland added Iowa’s fourth goal, and senior Sophie Plasteras capped the Hawkeye scoring at the 53:11 mark before Michigan State scored three unanswered in the last 10 minutes to finish the contest.

The Hawkeyes have a date with the Big Ten’s worst team, Ohio State, Thursday in Columbus before the Big Ten Tournament begins Nov. 3 in College Park, Maryland. If you’re a student with a valid University ID and want to go to that, tickets are a whopping $1.

Volleyball

After a successful couple of weeks, the Hawkeye volleyball team came back down to earth against two of the Big Ten’s best teams — Minnesota and Wisconsin — at home over the weekend. The Hawkeyes are now 5-5 in conference.

Iowa played the Gophers well, going to a fifth set and losing 15-11. Jess Janota led the way with 18 kills as Minnesota ultimately proved too much to handle. The next match was not as kind to Iowa, as it fell 3-0 to the Badgers, giving Iowa its third-consecutive loss.

The Hawkeyes are at home again this weekend, with Northwestern (13th in the Big Ten) and Illinois (sixth place) scheduled for Friday and Saturday, respectively, at 7 p.m. The second of which could be a huge momentum boost heading into the final month of the regular season.