Northwestern University Athletics
Field Hockey Travels to Penn State Friday, Hosts Iowa Sunday
10/11/2001 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 11, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's field hockey team hits the road for the second straight weekend as it takes on Penn State at Bigler Field in State College. The 4 p.m. contest is NU's fourth conference game of the year. Following the Friday match, NU heads back to Evanston to battle the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lakeside Field on Sunday. Game time is set for 1 p.m. The Wildcats and Hawkeyes are meeting for the first of two regular-season tilts, but Sunday's game will count in the Big Ten standings.
"Last weekend (in Bloomington) we were in position to win both games," said head coach Marisa Didio. "We made a few small changes to fix some trouble spots to finish on the winning end next time. Our girls are ready to work excessively hard for one another and we know what's on the line as far as our team goals are concerned. This weekend is a big step in accomplishing those goals."
Both Penn State and Iowa are in the Top 20 of the most recent edition the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes edged PSU by seven voting points, 129-122, to stay one spot ahead of the Nittany Lions. Iowa is ranked 17th and Penn State is 18th.
NU enters the weekend after splitting a pair of games in Bloomington, Ind. The Wildcats defeated the Hoosiers, 4-1, and took then-No. 9 Louisville to overtime before falling 2-1.
Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Hall (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) started both games and totaled 18 saves on the weekend. She made five saves in NU's victory over Indiana, helping NU to its first conference victory of the season. In Saturday's neutral-site game, Hall saved an impressive 13 shots to up her season save total to 30. She has been the starting goalie in both of NU's wins.
The offense flexed its muscles against Indiana, pouring in four goals for its highest output of the season. Junior Juli Fomenko (Campbell, Calif./Los Gatos) got the scoring started for NU, converting a penalty corner. Junior Diane Provencher (North Conway, N.H./Kennett) was credited with the assist. Later in the first half, Suzi Sutton (York, Pa./Dallastown) scored with a pretty reverse-stick goal from just inside the circle.
NU got the scoring started in the second half, as well, when Provencher rocketed home a shot off another penalty corner. Indiana got one of the goals back when Lauren Micka tallied, but Northwestern responded less than two minutes later when Lindsey Millard (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Country Day) put in a rebound after Nicole Smith's (Warnbro Western Australia/Como Senior) shot hit the post.
The Nittany Lions are 6-6 on the season as they get set to host the Wildcats. PSU has scored 25 goals and allowed 16. Their leading scorer is Timarie Legel, who has deposited nine goals and tallied one assist. Meredith Shulzitski is a close second, with 14 points on five goals and four assists.
The Lion goalkeeping duties belong to Annie Zinkavich, who has started all 12 games for the PSU. She has a 1.31 goals-against-average and 55 saves on the season. Zinkavich also has recorded 2.5 shutouts.
Iowa is led by freshman Sarah Dawson and junior Tiffany Liester. Dawson leads the team with 13 points on six goals and one assist. Liester has 10 points on four goals and two assists. NU is Iowa's only game of the weekend.
The Wildcats are 1-2 in conference play and are currently tied with Iowa for fourth place in the Big Ten standings. Penn State is 0-3 in league matchups, right behind the Hawkeyes and Wildcats. Michigan and Ohio State sit atop the standings with perfect 3-0 records, while Michigan State is third with a 2-1 mark.
