Iowa Field Hockey: Big Ten/ACC Challenge Preview

Nothing says Iowa Field Hockey is back quite like a pair of matchups against Wake Forest and North Carolina in the Big/ACC Challenge. It’s how the Hawkeyes have kicked off their season for the the last two decades. This year, the challenge will be hosted in Chapel Hill, NC at Karen Shelton Stadium.

Friday- vs Wake Forest / 5:00pm CT / ACC Network

Sunday- at North Carolina / 12:00pm CT / ACCN+

Friday’s matchup against the Demon Deacons will mark the 23rd in the series, with the Hawkeyes leading 12-11, including wins in ten of the last 12 matchups dating back to 2011. Sunday’s matchup against the Tar Heels will be the 36th in the series, with UNC dominating the series 32-4. The Hawkeyes have won just two of the last 23 meetings.

“We feel like we had a great preseason, pleasantly surprised with how we’ve grown and we’re just excited to put our product out there in games that are going to count,” said head coach Lisa Cellucci. “Awesome competition in front of us, but I think the team’s really excited to show how we’ve grown in the short 14 days.”

This season, Iowa returns Second Team All-American MF Esme Gibson, as well as several other starters, including F Annika Herbine, F Alex Wesneski, MF Sofie Stribos, MF Lieve Schalk and D Harper Dunne. GK Mia Magnotta takes over in goal after starting the last three games of the season, while sophomore D Milly Short, D Lauren DeRose, MF Gia Whalen, MF Lieve Van Kessel, F Rachel Herbine and F Dionne van Aalsum provide the Hawkeyes with a different overall look this season.

“I think it’s going to be a lot harder for people to scout us because we have a really different look and we can play a lot of people in different lines,” said Cellucci. “I’m really looking forward to being able to have these teams try to figure us out when the game starts, but I think we have enough weapons that we can be dangerous.”

#12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Last season, Wake finished with a 15-6 record, a 6-2 record against ACC opponents. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, but fell to Saint Joseph’s in the opening round.

The Demon Deacons will look a little different this season, as they lose three-time All-American midfielder Meike Lanckohr (10 gls, 13 ast), Second Team All-American defender Sky Caron (9 gls, 5 ast) and forward Hannah Maxwell (8 gls, 4 ast). Those three were the leading goalscorers for the team last season, but Lisa Cellucci says she doesn’t expect anything to change with how they look in the season opener.

“I think they’ve been really similar no matter who they lost. I think their transition to attack is fantastic. They’re really good goal scorers,” she said. “They did lose some big players, but they brought in some great freshmen that are really dynamic. Ava Moore and Saskia Lawrence are really great goalscorers. They always reload, so they’ll give us a challenge. Every game in the last six years has been super close.”

Ava Moore is a top 50 recruit in the 2023 class by MAX Field Hockey, while Saskia Lawrence was a member of England’s U16 and U18 squad. Forward Anna Gwiazdzinski scored five goals last season after transferring in from Indiana. She could be in for a bigger role this year.

The midfield is where Wake returns the most experience. Nat Friedman is a three-time All-ACC selection with 55 career starts to her name, while Grace Delmotte (5 gls, 13 ast) was a Second Team All-ACC selection a year ago. Ashley Hart rounds out the group and she scored six goals last season, including one against Iowa.

“A lot of times, they seem to score some goals on penalty corners because they’re fantastic tippers and they just reposition really well,” said Cellucci. “Ashley Hart, Ava Moore, Nat Friedman is a national team player who we will definitely keep our eye on. We just have to play really solid red zone defense and we should be okay.”

On the defensive end, the Deacs will be trying to replace Sky Caron, but Lee Ann Gordon does return after starting all 21 games and racking up seven assists. Ellie Todd returns as the starting goalkeeper after earning Second Team All-ACC honors as a true freshman. She ranked 49th in the country with a 70.3% save percentage and made 52 saves. Todd earned preseason All-ACC honors this season.

“I think they’re going to be really solid in the back, but they definitely have a lot of new faces there., so we hope to be able to put them under pressure and try and cause some turnovers early,” said Cellucci.

“(Ellie Todd) has really grown. They have a great goalkeeping coach Jackie Briggs, who was a national team member for a long time, so she’s really well coached. I think she has a good presence about her. She’s a good organizer, so we’re going to have to be pretty crafty to beat her.”

The Hawkeyes are not only looking to make it 11 wins in the last 13 matchups against Wake Forest, but they are also trying to get off to a 1-0 start for the sixth straight season. Lisa Cellucci says there is no crazy secret to winning the season opener. It’s all about playing their game and not getting off track.

“Making sure we play our game and we really stick to the game plan. When we did that against Northwestern in the exhibition, we were super successful. It’s just when we get out of sorts, then we got a little sideways, so we have to stick to what’s best for us and how we need to play.”

#1 North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels will host this year’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Karen Shelton Stadium, where they rarely lose. Going back to 2010, the Heels are 120-8 (.938) at home, including eight years where they swept the home slate. Last season, North Carolina completed an undefeated 15-0 regular season, including a 6-0 mark in ACC play. They won the ACC Tournament and then defeated Delaware, Saint Joseph’s, Penn State and Northwestern by a combined score of 15-4 in the NCA Tournament to cap off an undefeated 21-0 national championship season.

“They’re always dangerous, especially at Karen Shelton Stadium. They rarely lose games there, but we’ve gone in there and had some great battles against them throughout the years,” said Cellucci. “We have to be really solid in our plan. We’re going to have to play fantastic individual defense and we have to keep the game close early on.”

North Carolina comes in as the preseason number one team in the country, but for the first time in five years, Erin Matson will not be on the field. The four-time national champion, four-time national player of the year and ACC all-time leading goal scorer takes over as head coach of the program. They also lose Second Team All-ACC forward Ashley Sessa (9 gls, 5 ast) and Second Team All-American midfielder Meredith Sholder. Still, the Tar Heels still have the talent and depth to win the national title.

“Their front field is fantastic. I think their front five or six are so dangerous. I think they’re maybe a little bit more vulnerable within the back, but they did get a big transfer goalkeeper in Maddie Kahn,” said Cellucci.

Matson and Sessa combined to score 37 goals last season, but the Tar Heels actually return five of their top seven goal scorers, including Second Team All-American Ryleigh Heck who ranked seventh in the country with 18 goals last season.

“She’s a goalscorer, she’s super creative, she’s fast, she’s savvy. We will have an eye on her for sure. It will be kind of defense by committee,” said Cellucci. “She will be one of the best goalscorers in the country.”

Joining her on the offensive attack will be forward Kennedy Cliggett (7 gls), midfielder Lisa Slinkert (7 gls) and forward Paityn Wirth (5 gls). The Heels also add Syracuse transfer midfielder Pleun Lammers. She was out for the season with an injury after just two games last year, but was a Second Team All-American aftering scoring eight goals for the Orange in 2021.

“We have to be able to dictate where the ball goes and then really do our best to keep it to a side, so our ability to employ a two-thirds squeeze is going to be really important and then we have to be able to just run with them because their front five or six are so dangerous.”

“We had great practice against Northwestern for both Wake and UNC. I think all of their transition (attack) are fantastic, so we couldn’t have been more prepared, playing an opponent like that.”

On the defensive half of the field, North Carolina returns four players that played in every game last season, including Second Team All-ACC midfielder Sietske Bruning (3 gls, 8 ast) and defenders Katie Dixon (1 goal), Romea Riccardo (7 ast), Ciana Riccardo (2 ast).

“They always keep a high level of possession, so we expect them to build the ball and I think they’re really solid individual defenders too,” said Cellucci. “I think it’s going to be interesting with their new goalkeeper. That’s kind of been an area where they have been a little hit or miss.”

Abigail Taylor (73.5% save pct) and Kylie Walbert (65.7% save pct) split the playing time last year 55-45, but Walbert opted to transfer to Delaware this offseason. Matson went to the transfer portal and added Second Team All-Patriot League GK Maddie Kahn out of Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks defense forced Kahn to face a lot of shots, which is why her goals per game allowed was inflated to 1.95. She ranked 23rd in the country in save percentage (75.4%) and ranked third in the country in saves with 132. It will be interesting to see if the Heels opt to have her split time in goal with Abigail Taylor or give her the starting position.

While Iowa has had good success recently against Wake Forest in the season opener, the Hawkeyes are looking to sweep the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for just the second time ever (2021). If they were able to accomplish that, Lisa Cellucci’s squad would be set to make quite the jump from their spot as preseason number seven ranked team.