The grass was green, the sky was blue, and it was a chamber of commerce day with balmy 70s in October as both Iowa field hockey and soccer celebrated senior day with wins over strong Big Ten opponents.
Okay. I embellished a little bit, as the “grass” is field turf, so it’s always green. But work with me here, as it was a picture perfect day and setting for the seniors to take center stage and finish on a high note. Both games were well attended with some self-appointed fans taking the lead as cheerleaders
to lead the crowd in “Let’s Go Hawks” chants, and Iowa staff handed out some nice Hawkeyes swag. Let’s dig into the results for both games.
No. 6 Iowa Field Hockey Shuts Out No. 19 Penn State 1-0
Field hockey is prominent in the northeast United States, and Big Ten teams like Penn State and Maryland are perennial powers as they can recruit in state where it’s a sport actively played in high schools within their states. As is customary, Penn State had a decent number of fans tailgating and in attendance at the game.
With Iowa, they have a pipeline to international players, and on Sunday it paid off. Dionne van Aalsum scored her 17th goal of the season off an assist from Amber Millard-Smith on a penalty corner to provide the winning goal. As you might have suspected by now with the lead in about international players, Dionne is from Castricum, Netherlands, and Amber is from Chester, England.
While a moving target as games are being played, Dionne van Aalsum is currently at 17 total goals scored on the season, placing her in a tie at No. 2 nationally. At No. 2, she is tied with Fréderique van Cleef, also with the Hawkeyes. Fréderique is from Asten, Netherlands.
With the win, the Hawks improved to 12-3 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten play.
Iowa’s last game of the regular season is Friday, October 30 at Maryland. The Big Ten Tournament is November 5 – 8. The Selection Show for NCAA seedings is scheduled for Sunday, November 8.
Iowa Soccer Captures a Historic Win Over USC 3-1
For the first time in program history, the Iowa soccer team took down USC on a sun laden Sunday in Iowa City as the seniors celebrated a historic win.
Reilly Heman scored in the first half off an assist from Abby Skiff. Followed by goals by Sofia Bush and Elle Wildman in the second half.
Iowa now stands at 9-4-5 overall on the season, and 4-3-4 in the conference. Their regular season finale is on Friday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Iowa Soccer Complex.
The Best FREE Entertainment Value in Iowa City
If you haven’t yet taken in an Iowa Hawkeyes field hockey or soccer game then you are missing out. These are two quality, well coached teams, with outstanding players, and entertaining games.
Unbelievably, the games are absolutely free. The stadium entrances are adjacent to one another, and they share the same parking lot where parking is free. If you didn’t attend in 2026 you’re just about out of luck with the last remaining option being Iowa soccer on Friday evening, but catching a game in 2027 would make an excellent New Years Resolution.
