HAWK TALK

September 2017

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17 U niversity of Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni sees parallels between the Hawkeyes' sophomore class and the 2014 senior class. It starts with the numbers. e current sophomore class goes 10 deep and accounts for 37 percent of Iowa's roster. e 2014 class had nine seniors. e 2014 class played immediately, helping the Hawkeyes to 13 wins during their freshman season. e current sophomores won eight games as freshmen and the group combined to start 93 games and log more than 8,100 minutes. "at 2014 class played right away and figured it out throughout their careers," said DiIanni, who coached the 2014 class in his first season at Iowa. "e sophomore year is where you saw growth and by their junior and senior years, they made an impact. "I look at this group of sophomores similarly. ey have to continue with that growth as we move forward." Early in 2017, the sophomores have taken that initial first step. rough five games, the class boasts the top five point scorers, top three goal scorers, and the team's top assister. Goalkeeper Claire Graves has four wins, 14 saves, and two shutouts, while boasting a 0.90 goals against average. Forwards Devin Burns and Olivia Fiegel pace the team with five goals apiece. Burns catapulted into the top points position last weekend, scoring five goals in two games in victories over Southern Utah and UC Santa Barbara. She netted a hat trick in 10:36 against the underbirds. "e sophomore class is a big group in numbers and talent, and they're still young," said DiIanni. "ey have a lot to learn, but their game experience is invaluable. We like what we see with their approach, hunger to improve, and not standing for mediocrity." at attitude has DiIanni believing the class can avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. "at is more of a mentality," said sophomore Kaleigh Haus. "As a group, we're hard- working, and if we can keep that mentality, I don't think we can take a step back as long as we're working for the team." Haus knows all about the 2014 Hawkeyes. It was a group that won 14 games — second-most in program history — and advanced to the title game of the Big Ten Tournament. "ey were a great team, and we want to repeat what they did and go bigger," said Haus. "It's a mentality of coming every day and wanting to get better every day." SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE Sept. 8 Montana Sept. 10 Loyola Chicago Sept. 15 Nebraska Sept. 22 Penn State Sept. 24 Ohio State Sept. 29 at Michigan

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