MSU field hockey loses to Iowa in Big Ten Tournament

And now they wait.

The No. 10 MSU field hockey team dropped another overtime heartbreaker to Iowa, 3-2, in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. Iowa defeated MSU earlier in the year 4-3 and has beat MSU three of the last five years in the Big Ten Tournament, all of the losses coming in overtime.

The Spartans held the lead going into halftime, but what head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof called sloppy play led to an easy goal for the Hawkeyes that sent the game into overtime.

MSU lost in overtime when Hawkeyes back Lauren Pfeiffer scored on a penalty corner.

“I think against Iowa we played a good game and we had some great moments in it,” van de Kerkhof said. “But we had a few sloppy plays and at this level in the season you cannot afford those plays anymore. I think that’s what Iowa really converted on the second and third goal.”

The team now has to wait to hear if they will get into the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The tournament bracket will be announced Tuesday.

“I’ve been behind the computer and keeping track of scores and everybody that had to win for us to be pretty much safe for this year’s at-large selection did their work,” van de Kerkhof said. “So I expect us to pick up an at-large bid, probably the six, seven or eight at-large bid. That should be good for us to enjoy at least one more game.”

But, with the possibility of playing only one more game, the time for mistakes is over, van de Kerkhof said.

“If we can apply what we have learned throughout the season and as well as the reminder versus Iowa in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, then we hope for some fun,” van de Kerkhof said. “But we are done learning lessons. We have to apply in order for us to move forward in the NCAA play.”