Iowa Field Hockey Preview: Defending Half

Iowa Field Hockey has always been known for their strong defense. During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, the Hawkeyes routinely had one of the best defenses in the country. Over the last six seasons, Lisa Cellucci’s team has returned to that level and even gave themselves the ‘Great Wall of Iowa’ nickname back in 2018. Over the last 120 games, Iowa has allowed just 122 goals, including 81 games where opponents scored one goal or less.

This season, the Hawkeyes return defensive quarterback Milly Short and goalkeeper Mia Magnotta, while five-year starter Harper Dunne is back after suffering a foot injury midway through last season. There are some concerns with depth, as three-year starter Lieve Schalk could miss the entire season with a torn ACL, while sophomore Lauren DeRose will miss the entire year with a torn ACL. Still, they have the pieces and experience to be a good defensive team.

“I think we can be lethal defensively, but we’re going to be tested early on with a scrimmage against Northwestern, then Wake Forest and North Carolina. They’re going to put us under a lot of pressure,” said Cellucci.

Defensive Midfielders

Projected Starters: Soph Gia Whalen, Fr Sabrina McGroarty

Bench: Sr Ella Wareham, Sr Celine de Witte, Fr Lexie Haig

Last season the midfield was the strength of the Hawkeyes roster with Esme Gibson and Sofie Stribos, a pair of fifth-year seniors, leading the charge. Both of them have graduated and with that, a lot of experience went out the door.

“We’re going to be missing Sofie Stribos and Esme Gibson, they just were staples in our midfield,” said Lisa Cellucci. “Gia is probably the fittest person on our team, so she’ll take on that role, being able to play a lot of minutes.”

Despite the midfield group lacking experience, sophomore Gia Whalen returns after starting all 19 games as a freshman and accumulating 996 minutes on the pitch. She had the opportunity to learn from her veteran teammates last year and intends to apply those insights this season.

“I learned everything from them. I think just being under their wing and them telling me everything that they learned the past five years, it really helped me understand how Iowa plays,” said Whalen. “I’ve built confidence into what they taught me to bring it into this year and help the younger girls.”

The expectation is that true freshman Sabrina McGroarty will be the starter alongside Whalen. Out of Mickleton, NJ, McGroarty was rated as a top ten player in the ’24 recruiting class. She was also a 2023 MAX Field Hockey High School All-American, the same distinction that Gia Whalen earned as a senior at Villa Maria Academy.

Also in the mix at the defensive midfielder position is freshman Lexie Haig and senior Ella Wareham. Haig played her club hockey with Durham University in Division 1 North of the England Women’s National League. Wareham, a senior, has appeared in 42 games, including seven starts last season. She brings experience and has the flexibility to play in the midfield or on the back line of the defense.

“Alongside (Gia), Sabrina McGroarty, a freshman, she was a top ten recruit coming out of New Jersey. Her and Lexie Haig, they’re going to get a lot of time in the center of the field, so we’re going to be young down the spine, but it’s great for our future.”

Defenders

Projected Starters: Jr Milly Short, 5thYr Harper Dunne, Fr Fiene ten Seldam

Bench: Sr Ella Wareham, 5thYr Alex Wesneski, Fr Rylie Novak

The defensive unit took some big shots this past spring when three-year starter Lieve Schalk and sophomore Lauren DeRose both went down with ACL injuries. While DeRose is going to miss the entire season, Lisa Cellucci did not rule out the possibility of getting Schalk back late in the season.

Much of the responsibility will fall on returning starters Milly Short and fifth-year senior Harper Dunne, but it also means that Dutch freshman Fiene ten Seldam could find herself in the starting lineup a bit sooner than she expected.

The Hawkeyes have had success in recent years with Dutch players, including Anthe Nijziel and current players Lieve Schalk, Dionne van Aalsum and Lieve van Kessel.

“Most likely, Fiene ten Seldam, the freshman. She’ll most likely fill out the back three and depending if we play four in the back, Ella Wareham will be there…From what we’ve seen early in the preseason, Harper, Milly and Fiene are really going to fill our back three.”

Milly Short started all 19 games last season as the quarterback of the Hawkeyes defense and has taken jumps, both as a leader and as a player over the offseason.

“She has had unbelievable strides in her physical fitness. She came back with some massive PR’s this August, which was fantastic,” said Lisa Cellucci. “She’s just such a poised and composed player and her hockey IQ has grown a ton since the spring…She has a lot of responsibility in the backfield and, so far, what we’ve seen has been fantastic.”

Alongside her will be fifth-year senior Harper Dunne. Over the course of her career, Harper has started 67 games on the Iowa back line, including nine starts last season before a foot injury ended her season. Dunne is the by far and away the most experienced player on the roster. Anytime you can return someone with that many minutes logged, it is a boost to your team.

The primary concern for the defense lies in the depth of the group. Senior Ella Wareham can play in the midfield and as a defender, but after her, the Hawkeyes do not have anyone with experience on the back line. Canadian freshman Rylie Novak will be one of the candidates for minutes off the bench. She has high-level experience as a starter for the U16 and U18 Canadian Women’s National Teams. The other name to watch is fifth-year senior Alex Wesneski. Primarily a forward, Wesneski has spent the offseason learning to play on the defensive end. Lisa Cellucci called her a ‘utility player’ because of her versatility to play as a forward or a defender this season.

“Sure, there’s concerns in our backfield with Lieve and Lauren out, being injured. We’re grooming lots of different people to be able to fill the roles,” said Cellucci. “We have the opportunity to play a couple of different structures and that will help us, but everybody’s going to have to step up.”

Goalkeeper

Projected Starter: rJr Mia Magnotta

Bench: Soph Allie Curry, Fr Mack Panko

Mia Magnotta was supposed to redshirt as a freshman in ’22, but was thrust into the lineup during the postseason with Grace McGuire out due to an injury. Last season, Magnotta started every game in goal for the Hawkeyes, and now, she’s ready to make her 23rd consecutive start in the season opener. She says that her confidence level has taken a big jump with a full year of starting experience under her belt.

“I feel more confident in my abilities. Last season, (I was) definitely nervous, but after a year of training and after a full season, I definitely feel more confident in my abilities on the field, and I feel more confident in leading my teammates.”

Magnotta started all 19 games for the Hawkeyes, saving 69 of 90 (76.7%) shots faced, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten. On top of her job of saving shots, Mia is tasked with helping align the team on the field, making sure that their structure stays intact throughout the game.

“Mia is great. Her communication, it really helps us as a team and having her back there as sort of a pillar (of the team) is great. I have confidence in having her behind me,” said Milly Short.

In her third year with the program, Mia has transitioned into being a teacher for sophomore Allie Curry and freshman Mack Panko to help get them ready in the event that they have to take over in a game.

“It’s been different. I feel like I’ve always been the young one, but I always tell them to ask me any questions they want. I don’t know if I’m always going to know the right answer, but please ask. They’ve been great, they’ve worked very hard and they’re also just excited to learn and improve every day.”

Final Thought

It’s hard not to think about how the defending half of the field would look with Lieve Schalk healthy and in the starting lineup. However, with four of six starters returning, there is optimism that this group can still be an exceptional one. For that to happen, they will need Gia Whalen to step up as a leader in the midfield and get solid play out of freshman Sabrina McGroarty, Fiene ten Seldam, Lexie Haig and Rylie Novak from day one. If that comes to fruition, the Hawkeyes will still have a formidable defense despite the injuries that hit the group.