No. 3 Rutgers field hockey drops last game of season to No. 8 Iowa
The Rutgers field hockey team suffered its second consecutive loss in its final regular season game on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (15-2, 6-2) got their first loss on the road with a 7-2 defeat to Iowa.
Despite the loss, No. 3 Rutgers will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed.
The Hawkeyes (13-4, 4-4) struck first when Dionne van Aalsum scored in the second period off of a corner. No. 8 Iowa kept its 1-0 lead into halftime as very little action was seen from both teams in the first half.
Both team's offenses started attacking more in the second half. Four goals were scored in both the third and fourth periods, respectively.
Annika Herbine opened up the scoring in the second half, putting Iowa up 2-0.
Junior midfielder Paulina Niklaus scored only 2 minutes later, halving the Knights' deficit.
The Hawkeyes came back with two more goals before the end of the third quarter, one from Alex Wesneski and another from Esme Gibson. Iowa took a 4-1 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Graduate student forward Marique Dieudonne got a goal back for the Knights but the Hawkeyes kept scoring and tallied another three goals in the closing period.
Miranda Jackson scored first for Iowa in the final frame, and just 2 minutes later, van Aalsum was credited with her second goal of the day.
Jacey Wittel put the finishing touch on the game, netting her first goal of the season and giving the Hawkeyes a 7-2 lead.
This loss comes directly after the Knights fell for the first time last Sunday against No. 1 Northwestern in a penalty shootout.
The Big Ten Tournament kicks off next week in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the quarterfinals beginning this Thursday. Rutgers is set to take on No. 7-seeded Michigan at 2 p.m., with the tournament airing on the Big Ten Network and Big Ten Plus.
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