Iowa Opens Big Ten Season

Sept. 21, 2010

This Week
The University of Iowa soccer team welcomes Minnesota to town to kickoff the Big Ten season Thursday night. The two teams will meet under the lights for each team’s first conference matchup.

Sunday, the Hawkeyes play host to St. Louis University. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Live stats for both games will be available on hawkeyesports.com. Thursday night’s match will also be streamed live on Bigtennetwork.com.

Scouting The Opponents
Minnesota has rolled to an 8-1-1 start this season under seventh year Head Coach Mikki Denney Wright. The Golden Gophers have balanced scoring with nine members of the scoring at least once. Shari Eckstrom, Molly Rouse and Allie Phillips lead the scoring race with four goals each.

In goal for Minnesota is Cat Parkhill. The sophomore has recorded 24 saves and four shutouts.

St. Louis University is led offensively by Alli Reimer with two goals. Defensively, the Billikens are led by Katie Walsh, who has recorded 27 saves and five shutouts.

Veteran Head Coach Tim Champion is in his 15th season as head coach of the Billikens.

Last Week
Iowa traveled to Ames, IA, to face Iowa State in the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series meeting. The game was dominated by Iowa’s athletic front field. The Hawkeyes found the net four times, led by freshman standout Leah DeMoss who scored two of the goals.

Emily Moran was in goal for Iowa, recording three saves and the sixth shutout of the season for the team. With the win, the Hawkeyes pushed Iowa ahead in the current Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk standings, 5-2.

Sunday, Iowa squared off with Nebraska in Lincoln. The Hawkeyes struggled defensively when Nebraska scored an early goal. After rallying for the equalizer, Iowa allowed a quick goal to switch momentum. The Hawkeyes fell 4-1.

Hawkeye Games Streamed Live
The Big Ten Network will be streaming games live on www.bigtennetwork.com from the Iowa Soccer Complex throughout the season.

Thursday night’s match will be available online with a 7 p.m. start time. Other Iowa home games streamed include Ohio State (Oct. 8) and Penn State (Oct. 10).

Fans will still be able to catch the Hawkeyes’ action online when they travel to Northwestern (Oct. 21) and Michigan (oct. 29).

Youth Soccer Night
Fans are welcomed to the University of Iowa Soccer Complex Thursday night for youth soccer night.

All youth soccer players in the area can register to win an Iowa soccer ball autographed by the Iowa women’s soccer team. The Hawkeyes will also be available for autographs following the game.

Sunday, fans are asked to Be Bold Wear Gold in support of their Hawkeyes. The team welcomes St. Louis University to town for the final non-conference game of the season at 1 p.m.

In addition to the weekly events, Hawkeye fans are reminded that they will be entered to win a free Apple iPad everytime they attend a home game this season.

Records Are Meant To Be Broken
The Black and Gold have been on a roll this season, rolling all the way to a 7-2-0 start. Despite falling in the season opener, the Hawkeyes bounced back to record five consecutive shutouts, a program best, and seven consecutive wins, which ties a progam high set in 2007.

In addition to the dominating offenseive attack that puts Iowa ahead of the competition is the equally as dominant defense. Junior Emily Moran has recorded 26 saves this season, 190 in her career.

Moran’s support system includes defensive threats such as junior Rachael Blakesly and senior Jenna Aleo. The machine has stopped opponent attempts for 485:48 consecutive minutes.

The man behind the talented, determined Hawkeye team is fifth year Head Coach Ron Rainey. The Wilkes University graduate came to the University of Iowa in 2006 after the program recorded just nine wins in three season. Rainey has turned the team around, leading Iowa to 38 wins during his career. The win mark is the most by any Iowa head coach.

The record-breaking streak started by the 2010 squad has set or matched four team records and several individual accomplishments.

Go Big Or Go Home
The margin of victory over Northern Iowa on Sept. 6th ties the six-goal mark set in 2000 when Iowa defeated Purdue, 7-1. In 1999, the Hawkeyes posted a 7-0 victory over UW-Green Bay. The largest margin of victory in program history is eight goals set in 1997 and tied in 1998 with wins over Kent State and Grinnell, respectively.

Hawkeyes on the BTN
The Hawkeyes will make their lone appearance on the Big Ten Network on October 24 when they entertain Indiana at 2 p.m.

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