By Michael McCurdy
In order for the Iowa field-hockey team to come away with a win Oct. 21 against Michigan State, the seniors were going to have to step up.
Because it was Senior Day, it was the seniors’ last opportunity to give it their all in front of Iowa fans at Grant Field, and redshirt senior Natalie Cafone did not disappoint any of them.
Iowa started the game out on the attack, producing a lot more shots on goal than the Spartans. After 10 minutes went by, Cafone did what she does best by driving the length of the field and scoring the first of her 3 goals on the day with a slapshot from the left of the goal.
Not even eight minutes went by until Cafone found the net again, and it was almost the same play, but this slapshot was from the right side of the goal.
By halftime, the Hawkeyes demonstrated to the fans their best half of the year in Big Ten play, leading 4-0, with 3 goals by Cafone and 1 by freshman Sophie Sunderland.
Cafone was on fire in the first half, scoring on what seemed every shot she took. Her ability to dribble past and weave through defenders sets her apart from the rest of the team, but Cafone still gives all the credit to her teammates for setting her up.
“I think as a team we had a lot of offensive opportunities, and without the help of my teammates, none of my goals would have happened,” Cafone said. “I think it was really good we were able to get on the board first, and though the end of the game got a little messy, I think it was really good we got the result.”
In sports, a common theme for teams that hold big leads on their opponents early in games is to let up in the second half and struggle to play with the same intensity. This is exactly what happened to Iowa; the Hawkeyes were outscored 3-1 by Michigan State in the second half.Â
It was almost déjà vu from a game earlier in the season, in which Penn State came back in the second half to secure a win against the Hawkeyes, but once the game got close on Oct. 21, the Hawkeyes tightened up and finished the job. This is something Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci said the team will work on before heading to Ohio State on Thursday, the ability to not let up and give the other team opportunities to get back in the game.
“The last Big Ten game we have is huge, because it could bolt us all the way up to fourth in the standings,” Cellucci said. “We need to come back on Sunday focused on getting better, and that starts with fixing our counter-defense structure because Ohio State has some great speed on its forward line.”
On Oct. 21, the seniors left Grant Field one last time victorious with a 5-3 victory. Senior Sophie Plasteras said she understands it might take a while for the end of her senior year to sink in.
“It has not fully sunk in, but before the game I got pretty emotional walking out onto the field with my parents,” Plasteras said. “The emotion left once the game started, but I really think in a couple of months after the season, it’s going to hit hard.”
