Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Iowa
Field Hockey Falls to Iowa, 2-1
10/14/2001 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 14, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern field hockey team dropped its 10th game of the year, falling 2-1 to the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday afternoon. The Lakeside Field crowd of 175 had to run for cover as the game was delayed 43 minutes in the second half due to lightning and rain.
Iowa's Tiffany Leister opened up the scoring at 12:31 of the first period as the Hawkeyes executed a penalty corner. Maria Merluzzi and Lauren Edwards assisted on the play.
With 28:27 left in the game, a sudden change in temperature and billowing clouds from the southwest caused a 43-minute delay as NU enforced its lightning policy which prohibits teams from competing if lightning is detected in the area. Both the field hockey and men's soccer games were delayed.
When play resumed, the Hawkeyes took advantage of a letdown in the Wildcat defense. Hawkeye forward Pattie Gillern scored in front of the NU goal on a pass from Gina Carr.
"There was a 10-minute span after the lightning delay where we didn't recommit ourselves to this game," said head coach Marisa Didio. "That's where we lost the game. Other than that, I thought we played some of our best leadership hockey this year."
NU responded to Iowa's second goal, attacking the Hawkeye defense which resulted in six penalty corners for the half, one of which found the back of the Iowa goal. Junior Diane Provencher (North Conway, N.H./Kennett) took a pass from Juli Fomenko (Campbell, Calif./Los Gatos) and rocketed it past the diving Hawkeye keeper. It was Provencher's third goal of the season, tying senior Nicole Smith (Warnbro, Western Australia/Como Senior) for the team lead.
The Wildcats fall to 2-10 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten. Iowa improves to 8-3 on the year and a 2-2 league mark.
NU is next in action Oct. 24, traveling to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. The second meeting between these teams will not count in the Big Ten standings.
