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Iowa Field Hockey earns an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann11/10/25HuesmannKyle
The Hawkeyes are in the NCAA Tournament with a 14-5 record. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)
The Hawkeyes are in the NCAA Tournament with a 14-5 record. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)

For the seventh time in eight seasons and for the 29th time in program history, the Iowa Field Hockey team will be in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes will be headed to the Chapel Hill Regional, hosted by #1 North Carolina, after earning an at-large bid and will take on the #8 Duke Blue Devils in the opening round on Friday.

“We are so excited for the postseason,” said head coach Lisa Cellucci. “This group has grown through every challenge and they have earned the right to still be playing. To reach our 29th NCAA Sweet Sixteen is incredibly meaningful, to our team, our athletic department, our alumni, and everyone who’s poured into this program. We are grateful, we are locked in, and we are ready for more.”

How everyone got here…

– #1 North Carolina (19-1) earned the auto bid out of the ACC, winning the tournament title over Virginia 4-1, while they went 8-1 against teams in the 18-team field.

– Drexel (13-7) earned the auto bid out of the CAA, winning the tournament title over #12 Monmouth 3-2 for their biggest win of the season. They faced their play-in opponent, St Joseph’s in the regular season, defeating the Hawks 3-2 in a shootout.

– St Joseph’s (11-9) earned the auto bid out of the Atlantic 10, winning the tournament over regular season champion Richmond 2-0, while also holding a win over #20 UConn and America East champion New Hampshire.

– #9 Iowa (14-5) earned an at-large bid after picking up wins against #6 Wake Forest, #15 Michigan, #17 Rutgers and #18 Indiana.

– #8 Duke (12-7) earned an at-large bid after picking up wins against #11 Maryland, #20 UConn and Old Dominion during the regular season.

A brief look at the Duke matchup

For the first time since 2019, the Hawkeyes will face off against Duke. The Blue Devils enter the NCAA Tournament with a 12-7 record, ranked 8th in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll. While Duke has faced the third-toughest strength of schedule, they are just 1-7 against teams in the 18-team field, with their lone win coming against 20th-ranked UConn. They also have a win over #11 Maryland who was left out of the field with a 10-8 record after getting upset by Ohio State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Duke ranks fourth in the ACC in goals scored per game (2.47), while they rank third in goals allowed per game (1.16). The Blue Devils are fourth in the ACC in shots (227) and penalty corners drawn (112). Offensively, forward Alaina McVeigh (14 gls, 9 ast) and midfielder Julia Boehringer (10 gls, 5 ast) lead the way, while midfielder Madison Beach (3 gls, 11 ast) leads in assists. Goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow has made 42 saves on 64 shots faced, with her .656 save percentage ranking 69th out of 80 qualifying goalkeepers.

Game times for the Chapel Hill Regional will be released later in the week, as will a full preview of the Hawkeyes matchup against Duke.

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