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Iowa D Harper Dunne out for the rest of the season

On3 imageby:Kyle Huesmann•09/26/23•

HuesmannKyle

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Photo by Dennis Scheidt

The Iowa Field Hockey team is ranked #1 in the country with a 9-0 record, but over the last couple of games, all the sudden, injuries are starting to play a factor for the Hawkeyes. Midfielder Lieve Van Kessel was lost for the season when she tore her ACL against Vermont on September 15th. Head coach Lisa Cellucci announced on Tuesday morning that defender Harper Dunne is expected to miss the rest of the season with a left foot injury.

“Unfortunately, she is out for the season,” said Cellucci. “We did lose her to a pretty serious foot injury, so that’s a big blow to this team. Four-year starter, team captain and she hasn’t really come off the field for us. She’s devastated for her and devastated for the team, but we’re going to have to find a way to move forward.”

Dunne was injuried in the 11th minute of Friday’s contest against #14 Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was defending Abby Burnett along the far sideline, when she suddenly went down to the turf. Play was stopped and Harper was helped off the field. She did not return to the game, and the BTN+ broadcasting crew reported at halftime that she was seen on the sideline with ice on her lower left leg.

Out of Forth Worth, Texas, Dunne has been a starter for the entirety of her Iowa career. She has started all 67 games over four seasons and has been a key piece on the Iowa defense. Over the two seasons prior to this one, Harper played 2,376 of the 2,477 (95.9%) available minutes.

How does this impact the Iowa lineup?

This affects the Hawkeye lineup in a big way. Losing a four-year starter and team captain that plays more than 90% of the minutes is a huge loss. Still, Lisa Cellucci feels like they have the depth to continue playing at a high-level.

“We have to fill a big hole and we’re going to have to shuffle a little bit around out backfield, so we’re working on that this week. We definitely have options.”

The coaching staff could still go with Milly Short, Lieve Schalk and Lauren DeRose on the back line, but Lisa Cellucci has opted to shuffle in midfielder Esme Gibson on the back line in the starting lineup in place of the freshman DeRose. The most likely option is that they go with a 3-3-4 formation with four defenders going forward. Looking ahead to Ohio State on Friday, if Esme Gibson plays on the back line, the starters in the midfield would likely be Sofie Stribos, Gia Whalen and Jacey Wittel. If Wittel gets the start, it will be her first of the season and the 17th start of her career. She has played in 37 games over three years at Iowa. Midfielder Ella Wareham could see her minutes increase, while forward Rachel Herbine has seen some time in the midfield.

“We have more depth than we have ever had this year. We feel like we’re going to be just fine going forward. It just might take us a little bit to get our footing.”

There is not a lot of time for the Hawkeyes to gain their footing, as they face #11 Ohio State on Friday, with a matchup against #3 Northwestern looming in ten days. Friday’s game against the Buckeyes is set for 3:00pm CT and will be streamed on BTN+.

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