10 October 2025
The match against the Maryland Terrapins would be a critical test for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ranked at somewhere between eighth and eleventh, depending on which poll you consulted, the Hawks had lost the previous weekend to the Northwestern Wildcats by three goals to one. Considering the strength of the ’Cats, atop the polls, the result was to be expected and should not be foreboding, especially as Iowa nearly matched them in field play but losing to their superior penalty corners. The Turtles were the next Big Ten team on Iowa’s schedule, one tier below Northwestern and a fair indicator of Iowa’s place in the conference. They were no longer the team Iowa played that heart-breaking match against last November in the Big Ten tournament, but they still had Josie Hollamon from the US National Team and Jordyn Hollamon and Marci Bradford, who had played on the National U21 Team in Montevideo.
Bradford opened aggressively with an aerial into Iowa territory. The first quarter unrolled evenly, moving back and forth over the entire pitch as first one team than another gained possession, but without any scoring opportunities. Then, in the last two minutes, Iowa penetrated the Maryland circle and von Cleef got a shot on goal. Klebasko blocked the shot but in the melee in front of the goal—the “ugly zone”–Iowa was awarded a penalty corner. Would the Hawkeyes try something new? They lined up as usual with van Aalsum and her stopper at L2, but just as Zonnenberg injected van Aalsum stepped aside into L1 and struck. Klebasko blocked but the raised ball was ruled dangerous by the umpire and Iowa got another chance. This time the ball went to van Aalsum’s trapper. Shot was blocked by the goalie but rolled out and gave van Aalsum another bite at the apple but she missed het shot and the ball went looping into the air harmlessly and the quarter ended nil-nil.
As the second quarter opened, the Terrapins quickly gained a penalty corner. Bradford injected to Jordyn Hollamon, the Hawks’ Magnotta made a good block, but Maryland was awarded another corner. Second injection was slow and Iowa gained possession and van Cleef took the ball all the way to the Maryland circle and a PC. Van Aalsum swept a tomahawk shot blocked by the goalie. Iowa requested a video review (note to new hockey followers, video referrals in hockey are always requested) and was awarded another corner. Injection went to van Aalsum again but instead of shooting from the edge of the circle, she carried the ball towards the goal, spinning to evade the Terrapin flyers, creating a melee in the ugly zone in front of the keeper and Maryland successfully cleared. Maryland’s Vasilios counterattacked. Josie Hollamon lifted a beautiful aerial inside the Iowa 23 meter zone and Gia Whalen committed a stick foul the the umpire ruled intentional and awarded a penalty corner to Maryland. But the injection was slow and the shot went wide. With three seconds to go Maryland attacked the Hawkeye goal again but Magnotta made two great saves to end the half 0-0. Iowa had nine shots and Maryland eight, but all in the second quarter, showing the momentum was shifting. Similarly, Iowa had two penalty cornerss in each quarter, Maryland three, all in the second.. The Terrapins were marking van Aalsum well.
In the third quarter, play continued back and forth without a clear advantage, with both teams playing excellent defense. Iowa had two penalty corners in the first minute but could convert neither, though I noticed that Fortpied was one of the Iowa shooters, so Iowa was trying new variations. With just under ten minutes to go, Iowa thought they had a penalty corner, but after a long review the umpire’s decision was reversed, leading to a bully and thirty seconds later Gia Whalen penetrated the Maryland circle and got the penalty corner. Niamh de Jong injected and Milly Short’s shot went directly to the Maryland flyer’s stick. A couple of minutes later it was Maryland’s turn with an effective passing routine up the field into Iowa circle for a penalty corner, but Iowa successfully defended. Then with four and a half minutes left, it was Iowa’s turn for another corner. Van Aalsum’s shot bounced of the post but Lieve van Kessel was there and put the ball into the goal for a score. Finally we had a score and I was hoping Iowa could get on to taking charge of the match, but with barely a minute to go the Terrapins attacked the Iowa circle from their right, passed to Bradford in the circle who sent the ball to Jordyn Hollamon, who put the ball in the net to equalize. My chagrin at Iowa’s evaporated lead was tempered by admiration for Maryland’s beautifully coordinated attack. It was the kind of play we had not seen by Iowa, at least not since that first half against Louisville.
Two minutes into the final quarter, the Terrapins received another penalty corner. Bradford’s first attempt was blocked, but on the re-award she scored. Less than a minute later it was Iowa’s chance for a penalty corner, but van Aalsum’s shot went wide. Iowa quickly gained another, but could not convert. Suspense continued as the Terrapins failed to score an insurance goal on another penalty corner. With six minutes left, Iowa had another chance with a corner and again went to Fortpied, whose shot was blocked. And so the match ended with a narrow 2-1 win by the Terrapins.
Despite the close result, something felt disappointing about the Hawkeyes’ performance. Looking at the statistical figures later, I could see that Iowa had more opportunities to score, but failed to take advantage of them. With twelve penalty corners, they scored only one goal. That is not good by top level standards; a team like Northwestern would likely have scored three.