IOWA CITY — Sixth-ranked Iowa field hockey delivered a Senior Day victory Sunday, October 25, riding Dionne van Aalsum’s third-quarter goal and Julia Claessens’ first career shutout to a 1-0 win over No. 19 Penn State at Grant Field.
The Hawkeyes survived consecutive Penn State penalty corners in the final minute to secure the victory, improving to 12-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions fell to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Iowa outshot Penn State 15-7, while Claessens made three saves and improved her record in goal to 6-2.
Van Aalsum breaks scoreless tie
After neither team scored in the first half, Iowa struck early in the third quarter.
Van Aalsum converted a penalty-corner opportunity at the 31:33 mark off an assist from Amber Millard-Smith. The goal was van Aalsum’s 17th of the season and proved to be the afternoon’s only score.
Iowa’s defense protected that narrow advantage the rest of the way, including Penn State’s late push for an equalizer.
“I think we did a really good job keeping possession,” Iowa coach Lisa Cellucci said.
Cellucci credited the Hawkeyes’ defensive coordination and ability to limit Penn State’s transition opportunities.
“Defensively what we talked about was just collective pressure, sliding as a unit, and making sure we only had one cover,” she said.
The shutout gave Iowa a response to its recent 4-3 overtime loss to Rutgers, when the Hawkeyes’ comeback fell short.
Hawkeyes head to Maryland
Iowa returns to action Friday, October 30, against Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
The game is scheduled for noon Central and will stream on B1G+.