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Milly Short wins it in OT, Hawkeyes defeat #15 Rutgers

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann9 hours agoHuesmannKyle
Milly Short was the hero on Sunday for the Hawkeyes. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)
Milly Short was the hero on Sunday for the Hawkeyes. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)

The Iowa Field Hockey team spent the majority of the day playing from behind, trailing for 44:10, but the end result is all the matters, and the end result was a victory. Despite falling behind 2-0 in the opening quarter, the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes came from behind, forced overtime and defeated 15th-ranked Rutgers 4-3 on a Milly Short OT winner. With the win, Iowa moves to 9-4 on the season and 2-3 in Big Ten play. It’s a significant win for the Hawkeyes NCAA Tournament hopes.

Coming into the day, Iowa firmly sat on the right side of the NCAAT bubble, while the home side Scarlet Knights were firmly out, but not nearly dead. The result, either way, was going to have an impact on each teams tournament resume.

Rutgers came out playing like a team that understood they needed a resume boosting win. They put two goals on the board in the opening quarter, including a 4-0 advantage in shots on goal over the first 15 minutes. The Scarlet Knights scored just 78 seconds into the game on their first circle entry on a backhand shot from forward Sophie Kuiper. Later, in the 13th minute, Rutgers came through on the penalty corner, with defender Paulina Niklaus converting on a shot from the top of the circle. Trailing 2-0 after just 12:23, it’s the quickest an opponent has put two goals on the board since the season opener when Wake Forest went up 2-1 after just 11:46.

The 2-0 advantage held into the late stages of the opening half, but the Hawkeyes broke through in the 27th minute off of a Rutgers turnover. A poor pass from the Scarlet Knights back line allowed Frederique van Cleef to take off on a short field transition chance. She drove it to the end line, drawing Rutgers GK Emily Nicholls out of the goal and then centered it for Dionne van Aalsum who finished into the open goal.

As in control as Rutgers looked in the first quarter, Iowa was able to turn the tides, finding an equalizer in the 39th minute on a penalty corner. Dionne van Aalusm found the back of the goal on a direct shot from the top of the circle. Her NCAA leading 21st goal of the season made it 2-2 midway through the third quarter.

The momentum had flipped in favor of the Hawkeyes, but they were robbed of an opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot in the closing moments of the third quarter. In the 43rd minute, off a transition break sparked by a Rutgers turnover, Felicia Zonnenberg attacked into the circle, but was tripped up by the stick of GK Emily Nicholls. A penalty shot was not awarded and the Scarlet Knights managed to keep the tie intact, defending against two Iowa corners to end the third quarter.

Just minutes into the final period, the missed penalty loomed large, as Rutgers retook the lead in the 51st minute on a redirect goal by Olivia Fraticelli on a penalty corner. However, as they did after falling behind 2-0, the Hawkeyes battled back. In the 57th minute, just seconds after Iowa opted to pull GK Mia Magnotta for the extra player advantage, it was the direct sub Lexie Haig centering a pass in front of the goal for Gia Whalen who slotted it into the back of the goal for her first of the season.

Headed to overtime, the Hawkeyes started at a disadvantage, as Peyton Shellaway picked up a five-minute yellow card with 1:35 left, which meant they would be a player down for the first 3:25 of OT. They managed to kill off the yellow card and earned a penalty corner in the 64th minute. On the corner, Felicia Zonnenberg inserted to Milly Short and Short sent a direct shot by GK Emily Nicholls for an OT winner to send Iowa home victorious.

FINAL STATS

#11 Iowa 4 #15 Rutgers 3 (F/OT)

2′ – Goal Rutgers Sophie Kuiper (1-0), 13′ – Goal Rutgers Paulina Niklaus (2-0), 27′ – Goal Iowa Dionne van Aalsum (2-1), 39′ – Goal Iowa Dionne van Aalsum (2-2), 51′ – Goal Rutgers Olivia Fraticelli (3-2), 57′ – Goal Iowa Gia Whalen (3-3), 64′ – Goal Iowa Milly Short (4-3)

Shots: Iowa 16-10 Shots on Goal: Iowa 11-5 Penalty Corners: Iowa 8-5

Up Next, the Hawkeyes return to Iowa City for a home match against the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday night at Grant Field. The game is set to get underway at 6:00pm CT on BTN+.

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