Three of Iowa’s teams are set to begin Big Ten play this week, and each Hawkeye team is approaching the conference from a different angle.
For the Hawkeye Field Hockey team, the Big Ten conference schedule is a chance to kick start a stagnant season. They currently sit at 2-5, and hit the road this weekend for two games, including a matchup against #5 Michigan State in East Lansing. The season hasn’t gone as planned so far, but all can change with a good Big Ten record.
“This is kind of the second season,” said Iowa Field Hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum, “starting the conference…I think we have to feel like we have an opportunity to win a Big Ten championship.”
The Field Hockey team’s last game was a 2-0 win against Ball State, a much needed victory for a squad that was fiending for a win. Hmm, a win over Ball State before the Big Ten schedule. Sounds like fun.
When asked if she plans on treating the preparation for the MSU game any different, Griesbaum said the preparation, for the most part, stays the same.
For the Iowa Soccer team, the Big Ten schedule is a chance to keep it rolling. The squad started the Big Ten season against #18 Minnesota last night, holding the nationally ranked Gophers to a 1-1 tie on a rain soaked, chilly Thursday night. The Iowa Soccer team is easily the hottest team in the Iowa athletic department right now, (especially after the football team’s performance in Arizona) currently sitting at 7-2-1.
The soccer team has only lost one of the last nine games, and since the season opening loss to DePaul, has outscored their opponents by a combined 23-5, including six shutouts and two games of only one goal scored by the opponent. Only Nebraska, who beat the Hawks 3-1 on September 19th have managed to score more than 2 goals against the Hawks all season.
Now the Big Ten schedule arrives and the Iowa Soccer team has the momentum on their side. After a Sunday afternoon match against St. Louis, the Hawkeye Soccer team will plunge headfirst into conference play, starting October 3rd at Wisconsin.
For the Iowa Volleyball team, the Big Ten schedule will probably answer the most questions. Right now this team sits at 5-4. Not bad. However, the volleyball team has lost 3 straight matches and needs to beat #22 Michigan on the road Friday night to maintain a winning record. After the match against Michigan it’s over to East Lansing for the 8-3 Spartans.
The Hawkeyes desperately need to keep the record on the winning side, but this weekend’s competition makes it a daunting challenge.
The entire non-conference record mean so very little once the Big Ten schedule starts; a winning team can come crashing down, and struggling team can flip the switch and win conference.
In the end, it’s the conference schedule that holds the most weight, just ask Mr. Ferentz.
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