Oct. 2, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s soccer team shut out Michigan State Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 final score at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The teams were No. 3 and 4 in the Big Ten standings entering the weekend. Iowa improved to 10-1-2 on the season and 2-1-2 in league play after handing Michigan State its first loss of the conference season.
Iowa’s attack got a quick start after the whistle. Freshman Cloe Lacasse took aim just 40 seconds into the match, but was wide left with her shot. Junior Dana Dalrymple also recorded an attempt in the 4th minute, but her shot veered left of the post as well.
In the eighth minute, senior Alyssa Cosnek gathered the ball on the left side of the field and played the ball ahead to Lacasse. The newcomer drew defenders to the outer edge of the box and crossed it into Dalrymple who was wide open in the center of the six-yard box. Dalrymple buried the ball into the net with force, giving Iowa the early 1-0 lead with an eventual game-winning goal.
“I’m very happy for Dana, Cloe and Alyssa who linked up on that goal,” head coach Ron Rainey said. “That was a nice goal and one that I think will score against a lot of teams in our league.”
Both teams had good looks at the goal throughout the first half, taking nearly equal amounts of shots through 45 minutes. Iowa’s senior goalkeeper Emily Moran made four stops, but was supported by her defense that made one team save and foiled several Spartan opportunities.
After the half, Iowa’s defense fended off several Michigan State attempts. The Spartans out shot Iowa 13-6 in second period, forcing Moran to make five saves.
Late in the game, Lacasse and Dalrymple gave the Spartan defense fits with their quick footwork and athleticism. Passes among the two and sophomore Leah DeMoss nearly led to a second Iowa goal with 15 minutes on the clock, but Michigan State’s Jill Flietstra got her hands on the ball and allowed her defense to clear the box of any danger.
Moran was credited with the win after recorded 90 minutes between the posts. The senior had nine saves in the shutout victory. In combination with Moran, Iowa’s back line made up of senior, Morgan Showalter, junior Kat Lewis and freshmen Caitlin Brown and Melanie Pickert, held Michigan State’s Olivia Stander and Laura Heyboer scoreless. The duo is one of the conference’s most feared offensive forces, combining for 25 of the team’s 29 goals this season.
“I’m really proud of the team’s effort defensively,” Rainey said. “Michigan State is a dangerous opponent with their forwards. I felt like we bounced back well after the result on Friday and did everything we needed to do to get the result we wanted. Now, we need to recover and get better for Minnesota because they will be getting better this week.”
The Hawkeyes have a one-game week ahead, facing Minnesota in a Saturday night matchup. Iowa will take on the Gophers at the Iowa Soccer Complex at 8 p.m.