Oct. 30, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s soccer team will continue its season at the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill. this week (Nov. 2-6). The Hawkeyes, tied for fifth in the conference standings, are seeded sixth and will face No. 3 Michigan State in Wednesday’s first round game at 10:30 a.m.
The two teams met earlier this season in Iowa City (Oct. 2), with the Hawkeyes winning with a 1-0 decision. In 15 meetings between the two teams, Iowa has earned four wins over the Spartans. Iowa is 2-1-0 all-time in games played on Wednesday and 10-11-1 in matches played on a neutral field.
Iowa’s fifth place tie in the final conference standings and the No. 6 seed ties for the second highest finish and seeding in the league tournament. In 1999, the team earned a No. 3 seed after finishing third in the final standings. In 2000 and 2001, the team secured No. 6 seeds. The Hawkeyes are 0-5 all-time in Big Ten Tournament appearances, including 0-2 as the sixth seeded team.
This is the sixth time that the Hawkeyes have qualified for the Big Ten Tournament which ran from 1994-2008 before the coaches decided to eliminate the event in 2009 and 2010. It was reinstated for the 2011 season. The top eight teams in the final conference standings advance to the league tournament.
“We’re extremely excited to represent Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament,” head coach Ron Rainey said. “The league this year is such that this will be a great event to play in and be a part of.”