Iowa Set To Open Big Ten Play

Sept. 22, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week
The University of Iowa soccer team (5-4-0) concludes its four-match road trip this weekend in the state of Michigan. The Hawkeyes open Big Ten Conference play at Michigan and Michigan State. Iowa visits the Wolverines Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) and the Spartans at 11 a.m. (CST).

Iowa On The Big Ten Network
Iowa’s Sunday morning match-up in East Lansing vs. Michigan State. will be televised live on the Big Ten Network at 11 a.m. (CST). Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Seth Kessler (analyst) will call the match. The match is the first part of a women’s soccer double-header, with Ohio State/Indiana broadcast at 1 p.m. (CST).

Last Time Out
The Hawkeyes split a pair of road matches last weekend. Iowa visited Missouri last Friday, but fell, 2-1, to the Tigers. Junior midfielder Alexandria Seydel scored the Hawkeyes’ only goal on a penalty kick in the 64th minute.

On Sunday, the Black and Gold visited in-state rival Iowa State and rallied with three second-half goals to knock off the Cyclones, 3-2. Stephanie Hyink, Alyssa Cosnek and Sarah Langlas all scored goals for the Hawkeyes.

Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series
The tally in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series is now 5-2 in favor of Iowa, after wins in football (three points) and soccer (two points). Iowa State has a win in volleyball (two points).

The next competition occurs Nov. 15, with men and women’s cross country in Stillwater, OK.

Scouting Michigan
Michigan has a record of 3-4-2, most recently falling at Arizona and drawing with Arizona State over the weekend. The Hawkeyes earned their first-ever win over Michigan last season with a 2-1 victory in Iowa City.

Amanda Bowery is Michigan’s top offensive performer with five goals and three assists. The Wolverines are coached by Greg Ryan, the former U.S. Women’s National team coach, who is in his first season. He has a career record of 189-81-18 in 15 seasons.

Scouting Michigan State
Michigan State has a record of 8-1-0, with its first loss of the season coming at the hands of BYU last Friday in Provo, UT. The Spartans were 1-8-1 last season in Big Ten Conference play.

On the season, Michigan State has outscored its opponents by a margin of 27-5, the bulk of which has come from three players — freshman Laura Heyboer (9 G, 6 A), junior Lauren Hill (8 G, 4 A), and freshman Cara Freeman (7 G, 3 A). They rank first, second and third in conference in points, respectively. Lauren Sinacola ranks first in the conference in assists (10).

The Spartans are coached by Tom Saxton, who is in his 18th season as coach of the Spartans. He owns a career record of 165-145-28. The Hawkeyes are 3-7-1 against Michigan State, including a 1-0 win last season in Iowa City.

Iowa’s Non-Conference Play
Iowa has only one non-conference match-up remaining on the season (North Dakota State, Oct. 5). With a non-conference record of 5-4-0, they are guaranteed a record of .500 or better for the third straight season. The Hawkeyes were 4-1-4 in 2007 and 5-3-1 in 2006 in non-conference match-ups.

Big Ten Rankings
As a team, the Hawkeyes rank tied for third in goals allowed (eight) and saves (41) and fifth in goals-against-average (0.88). Offensively, Cosnek is tied for fifth in the conference in goals (five). Freshman Morgan Showalter is second in assists (seven). Freshman goalkeeper Emily Moran is third in save percentage (.885) and Kali Feiereisel is sixth (.773).