No. 9 Northwestern Hosts No. 16 Iowa Friday

10/13/2016 9:38:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Nick Brilowski

NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Friday, Oct. 14	#16 Iowa	3 p.m.	Lakeside Field	BTN2Go	SIDEARM
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 9 Northwestern plays its penultimate home game of the 2016 season Friday when No. 16 Iowa travels to Lakeside Field for a 3 p.m. contest.

The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 10-4 overall mark and a 4-1 record in Big Ten play that ranks NU tied for first in the league standings along with Penn State and Maryland, two teams that the 'Cats have beaten already this season.

Northwestern is looking to bounce back from a tough weekend on the road that included a 2-1 loss at Indiana on Friday prior to a 2-0 defeat at then-No. 8 Louisville on Sunday.

Despite the tough weekend for the attack, the Wildcats still rank second in the Big Ten with an average of 3.79 goals per game, while Iowa is right behind at 3.71.

Iowa's Natalie Cafone ranks tied for first in the conference with 15 goals while Northwestern's Isabel Flens is tied for third with 12 tallied this season. In goal, both Lindsay von der Luft of the 'Cats (2.02 gaa) and Alexandra Pecora (1.97 gaa) have allowed 20 goals in 14 games played this season, but von der Luft sports a .753 goals-against average compared to .672 for Pecora.

The Wildcats are undefeated each of their first four home contests this year, including previously mentioned wins over Penn State and Maryland. Following Friday's match, Northwestern has only one contest remaining at Lakeside Field this season as it hosts Michigan next Friday.

Iowa sports a 9-5 overall mark and a 1-3 Big Ten record. The Hawkeyes were dominant in a pair of nonconference matches last weekend, trouncing Central Michigan 11-0 and UC Davis 5-0.

Northwestern won last year's matchup with the Hawkeyes, 4-0, on Oct. 2 in Evanston.

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