Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. - Tied at one apiece at halftime in Thursday's neutral-site, non-conference matchup at Stanford, two second-half goals scored by No. 7 Iowa within a one-minute timespan enabled the Hawkeyes to leave Varsity Field Hockey Turf with a 3-1 win over UC Davis.

UC Davis falls to 1-4 with the loss; Iowa improves to 3-1 with its result.

Competing in her first-ever game for UC Davis, goalkeeper Makheila MacDonald recorded all 12 of her saves in the second half. Even though Iowa threw 22 shots in her direction throughout the final 35 minutes of action, MacDonald singlehandedly kept her team within striking distance by making difficult saves look routine.

"I could not ask for anything more from Makheila," said head coach Tiffany Huisman following the match. "Against a team like Iowa, she stepped up in key moments."

One of those moments took place midway through the second half when the Hawkeyes earned five consecutive penalty corners. On all five opportunities, MacDonald stonewalled the nation's seventh-ranked team.

"As the game progressed, and with each save made, you can see that she became more comfortable in goal," Huisman added. "What she did was impressive, especially for a freshman in her first start."

The visiting Hawkeyes scored the first goal of the match 3:59 after the opening whistle to jump out to an early 1-0 lead.

Undeterred, the Aggies kept their composure, continued to battle and were able to even the score at one apiece when Kayla Wigney beat Iowa's goalkeeper seven minutes later.

Wigney's goal, her first of the season, was earned on the Aggies first scoring opportunity of the game and only shot taken in the first half.

In the 36th minute, Iowa took the lead on a bizarre play that caught everyone, including both teams, off-guard.

With a slew of players stationed in front of her, MacDonald was able to make the initial save on Stephanie Norlander's shot. Entering from the opposite side of the field, Iowa's Mallory Lefkowitz was able to punch her stick into the play and redirect the ball into the back of the cage.

Fifty-one seconds later, Iowa extended its lead when Natalie Carfone scored her second goal of the game off a one-time pass from teammate Sara Watro.

Down by two with plenty of time still remaining, the Aggies flipped the action into the Hawkeyes' half of the field and reeled off six consecutive shots, nearly finding the back of the cage on a majority of those opportunities.

With Iowa on its heels, Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Cellucci called a timeout - the only thing anyone sporting Iowa's colors could do at that point of the match to disrupt the Aggies' attack.

"I am proud of the way everyone stepped up and performed today. Even after that first [Iowa] goal, everyone continued to battle," Huisman said.

Thursday's match was the last of four straight road contests for UC Davis. The Aggies will not compete in another game for the next week; the team will return Aggie Field Hockey Facility on Sept. 19 to face Cal in its first NorPac match of the season.