Aug. 26, 2009
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch (2009-10 season)
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- Iowa soccer wallpaper
- Iowasoccer.com
This Week
The University of Iowa soccer team hosts Montana at 7 p.m. on Friday night and South Dakota State Sunday afternoon.
Scouting the Opponents
Montana fell in its home opener to Gonzaga, 3-0 Sunday. Like the Hawkeyes, Montana’s roster is young, with 17 of its 26 players being freshmen or sophomores. The Grizzlies finished fourth in the Big Sky Conference and advanced to the semifinals of the conference championship where they fell the Weber State, 1-0.
The Jackrabbits lost their top-two scorers and goalkeeper from the 2008 season, but that didn’t seem to slow the squad, as they won an exhibition game against Northern Iowa, 1-0.
Sophomore Brienna Rogers and senior Daniella Pappas split time in goal for SDSU in the win.
Last Season
Friday night’s match marks the first meeting between the Hawkeyes and Grizzlies.
Last season, Iowa fell to South Dakota State, 2-1. In the series, the teams are tied at 1-1-0.
Penalty Kick
Alex Seydel capitalized on an opportunity in the 44th minute with a penalty kick that found the net. The kick was awarded to the Hawkeyes after freshman Jade Grimm was tackled by a Missouri defender. The goal was the fourth career goal for Seydel.
Showalter Scores
Morgan Showalter wasted no time making an impact this season. Showalter scored in the 47th minute off assists from Dana Dalrymple and Alyssa Cosnek. The Cedar Rapids native was named to the Big Ten All-Freshmen team last season. She has started all 22 games of her career at Iowa.
Underclassmen Make An Impact
Iowa’s starting lineup for its home opener against No. 24 Missouri included seven players in the freshman or sophomore class. Two freshmen and a sophomore also came in as substitutes for the Hawkeyes. Inexperience was no dillemma for Iowa, as they led Missouri 2-1 going into the final five minutes of play.
Freshmen Jade Grimm and Alyscha Mottershead started and played all 90 minutes in their debut as Hawkeyes. Emily Jaffe and Dana Dalrymple came in during the 34th minute for Iowa.
In Goal
Emily Moran played all 90 minutes in goal for Iowa against Missouri. The sophomore recorded five saves. Moran started 11 games as a freshman and recorded 74 saves for Iowa last season. The Kent, OH native was also named to the Big Ten all-Freshmen team in 2008.
Hawkeyes on the BTN
The Hawkeyes will make it’s lone appearance on the Big Ten Network on October 4 when they entertain Wisconsin at 1 p.m.
Iowa Welcomes New Assistant
Head Coach Ron Rainey welcomes a new assistant this season. Shane Meridith joins Iowa’s coaching staff from Miami of Ohio.
The Earlham alum has an array of coaching experience with previous time spent as head coach of the Carmel United Soccer Club and Earlham. He also held positions at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Region II United States Youth Soccer Federation.
Up Next For Iowa
Following the two home matches this weekend, Iowa travels to Flagstaff, AZ for the ninth annual Mountain Classic hosted by Northern Arizona Univeristy. The Hawkeyes will face New Mexico on Sept. 4th and Northern Arizona on the 6th.
Iowa will return home to the Iowa Soccer complex after the tournament to play four consecutive games in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes welcome Loyola-Chicago (Sept. 11), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sept. 13), and in-state foes Iowa State (Sept. 18) and Northern Iowa (Sept. 20).
Opponents In The Rankings
The Hawkeyes schedule this season is full of tough competition. Head Coach Ron Rainey’s squad faces four ranked teams.
Iowa opened its season with No. 24 Missouri in Iowa City. The team will travel to No. 19 Minnesota on Sept. 24 before facing back-to-back ranked foes No. 12 Penn State in University Park Oct. 11 and No. 17 Illinois in Iowa City Oct. 17.