Ranking Iowa Field Hockey's Big Ten Opponents

The Iowa Field Hockey team has gotten off to a hot start this season with six straight wins to open the season, including wins over #2 North Carolina, #16 Wake Forest and #20 Albany. Those three wins, plus a win over Fairfield earned them the top spot in the NFHCA Coaches Poll heading into last weekend. The Hawkeyes took care of business at home with wins over Central Michigan (8-0) and UMass Lowell (5-1). Now, just one weekend of non-conference play remains before Lisa Cellucci’s squad jumps into Big Ten play.

As a conference, the Big Ten currently has seven ranked teams, including five teams in the top ten. That makes for a demanding slate of games on the back half of the season. HawkeyeReport takes a look at each conference matchup for the Hawkeyes and we rank them from most to least difficult.

1. at #5 Maryland Terrapins (6-1) – Oct 20th

The toughest game on the Hawkeyes Big Ten slate will come way over on the east coast against Maryland. hey are currently ranked #5 and have a 6-1 record, including a win against #14 Boston College. The stat that reallys stands out? The Hawkeyes are 0-10 all-time away from home against the Terps.

Forward Hope Rose is one of the best goalscorers in the conference and has nine goals through seven games. Their goalkeeping situation is better than last year, as Paige Kieft and true freshman Alyssa Klebasko have combined for an 81.5% save percentage. This will be a tough one late in the year.

2. vs #3 Northwestern Wildcats (5-1) – Oct 6th

The biggest game that Grant Field will host this season will come against the rival Wildcats. Since they lost the season opener to #4 Louisville, Northwestern has won five in a row, including wins over #9 Duke, #14 Boston College and #18 UMass. Their defense has been as good as anyone in the country.

They are holding opponents to 6.7 shots and 0.50 goals per game against the 6th rated strength of schedule. GK Annabel Skubisz has been impressive in goal turning away 19 of 22 shots faced (86.4%), which ranks as the best in the country. Midfielder Peyton Halsey leads the way with four goals, while true freshman Olivia Bent-Cole has a pair of goals. The Hawkeyes have won four of the last five meetings in Iowa City and won their exhibition matchup 3-1 back on August 19th.

3. at #12 Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2) – Oct 22nd

Penn State arguably has the best goal scoring duo in the conference and one of the best in the country with Sophia Gladieux and Mackenzie Allessie. They have combined for 13 goals in six games, but the issue for the Lady Lions has been on the defensive end.

The PSU defense is allowing opponents to 12.7 shots per game and All-American goalkeeper Brie Barraco’s 76.3% save percentage ranks 25th in the country. Those numbers aren’t great considering they’ve faced the 49th toughest schedule. It’s hard to imagine that they will not improve as the season goes on with the talent they have. Also, this game comes right after the Hawkeyes game at Maryland, which adds to its difficulty.

4. at #8 Michigan Wolverines (4-2) – Sept 22nd

The Big Ten opener for the Hawkeyes will come on the road in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines. After an 0-2 start in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Michigan has bounced back with four wins in a row, including a shutout win over #11 St Joseph’s.

The Wolverine defense has been impressive, holding opponents to just 7.5 shots per game, while GK Caylie McMahon is 5th in the country with an 82.1% save percentage. Offensively, 11 different players have scored a goal, while Alana Richardson leads with three goals. The Hawkeyes have lost three in a row in the series, but neither team is the same as last year.

5. vs #10 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-0) – Oct 27th

The Scarlet Knights went just 8-10 last year, but faced an incredible 14 ranked teams. A mix of returning players and an easier slate to start the year has led to an undefeated start for Rutgers. It’s fair to wonder if their success will continue once the schedule ramps up. If their defense stays strong, then they will be a tough out.

Opponents are averaging just 8.3 shots per game against a defense led by 2022 Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year Puck Winters and GK Sophia Howard. Winters has scored six goals, while Howard ranks 8th in the country in save percentage. Tomorrow’s game at Penn State will tell a lot about the strength of Rutgers.

6. vs #17 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) – Sept 29th

Currently the lowest of the six ranked teams the Hawkeyes will face in Big Ten play, the Buckeyes snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Hawkeyes last season in Columbus. They return a lot of talent from last year’s team and are off to a 6-1 start.

Goal scoring has not been an issue, as they have scored 27 goals over seven games, including eight from forward Makenna Webster. The Buckeyes are first in the Big Ten in shots, penalty corners and second in goals. Some of that is due to playing just one team in the FieldHockeyCorner top 30, but this is still a dangerous team and the Hawkeyes know that from last season. It is at Grant Field, which is a boost in favor of Iowa.

7. at Indiana Hoosiers (2-3) – Oct 13th

It’s a testament to the strength of the Big Ten that it took until their seventh toughest game (of eight) to say that you can probably pencil this in as a win for the Hawkeyes. Although, on second thought, maybe not? The Hoosiers are 2-3 this season, but took both #9 Duke and #10 Liberty to the wire, while they also defeated Miami OH.

Ohio State transfer Sarah Charley has three goals to pace the Hoosiers offense, so she is name to remember. FieldHockeyCorner has Indiana at #21 in their computer rankings, but still favors Iowa by 2.5 goals. The Hawkeyes have won 12 of the last 13 meetings, but this one could be a bit closer than last year’s 5-1 win.

8. vs Michigan State Spartans (1-4) – Oct 1st

The Hawkeyes have had a lot of success against Michigan State recently and there is no reason why that won’t continue this year. They have won nine in a row against the Spartans and have outscored them 22-0 over the last six meetings. This season, MSU has scored just five goals in five games, while their defense is last in the Big Ten allowing 2.20 goals per game. FieldHockeyCorner currently has the Hawkeyes favored by 5.5 goals.