Oct. 9, 2012
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s soccer team returns to the Iowa Soccer Complex for the first time in three weeks, hosting a pair of Big Ten foes. The Hawkeyes will meet Ohio State Friday at 7 p.m. Iowa will face fourth-ranked Penn State Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). Live results will be available via GameTracker.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Buckeyes (8-4-1, 3-2-1) currently sit fourth in Big Ten standings and are coming off a 1-0 victory against Purdue. Ohio State is led by Tiffany Cameron, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten in points (21) and goals (10). The Buckeyes use a goalkeeper rotation of Rachel Middleman and Jillian McVicker. Middleman has a .793 save percentage, while McVicker’s is .913. Ohio State ranks third in the Big Ten in goals allowed (8) and 10th in goals scored (15).
Penn State (12-2-0, 6-0-0) ranks first in the Big Ten standings and is ranked fourth by the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll. The Nittany Lions are on a seven match winning streak, and are coming off a 5-2 win against Indiana. Penn State is led by player of the year candidate Maya Hayes (20 points; nine goals) and Christine Nairn (29 points; 11 goals). Goalkeeper Erin McNulty has played 790 minutes for the Nittany Lions with a 1.25 goals against average. Penn State ranks first in the Big Ten in goals (46) and sixth in goals allowed (16).
IOWA 0, MINNESOTA 0 (2OT)
For the third week in a row, the Hawkeyes earned a point towards Big Ten standings in conference play on the road. Iowa battled to a double-overtime scoreless draw with Minnesota at the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium Sunday. Freshman Meg Goodson and Hannah Clark earned the combined shutout in goal for the Hawkeyes. Goodson came up with a key save in the 26th minute, while Clark finished with seven saves. Junior Asley Catrell led the Hawkeye offense, creating a number of opportunities in attack. Catrell tallied four shots with two shots on goal. Iowa’s backline of seniors Jade Grimm and Kat Lewis, and sophomores Melanie Pickert and Katie Brown blocked eight shots.
HAWKEYES SET SHUTOUT RECORD
With Iowa’s shutout at Minnesota, the Hawkeyes have set the program record for shutouts in a season (10). Iowa had nine shutouts last season. The Hawkeyes shutout Eastern Illinois, North Dakota, Loyola Chicago, Northern Iowa, LIU Brooklyn, Saint Louis, and Big Ten opponents Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota.
HAWKEYES SET MARK
Iowa earned a point toward Big Ten standings for the third consecutive league road match at Minnesota. The last time the Hawkeyes earned at least one point in three straight conference road matches was in 1999.
OVERTIME DRAMA
The Hawkeyes have played in three consecutive double-overtime draws. No other time in program history has Iowa gone to extra time in three straight matches, or tied in three straight matches.
SHUTOUT STREAK
Iowa has shutout Big Ten opponents in three consecutive matches. No other team in program history has reached that feat. The Hawkeyes have an active shutout streak of 331 minutes. Iowa has shutout four of their past five Big Ten opponents.
HAWKEYES 13th IN NATION
Iowa ranks 13 in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage, and second in the Big Ten. Nationally, only six teams have more wins than Iowa and only two have fewer losses.
CLARK EARNS LEAGUE HONORS
Freshman Hannah Clark was named Big Ten Co-Freshman Player of the Week for her performance at Minnesota. It’s Clark’s third career weekly honor and the second straight week she was named league freshman of the week. Clark made seven saves against Minnesota, playing 65 minutes without allowing a goal.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
The Hawkeye defense has allowed just seven goals through 15 contests, shutting down opposing offenses on a consistent basis. Iowa’s defense ranks second in the nation in save percentage, fifth in shutout percentage and sixth in goals against average. Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in saves (82) and shutouts (10), and second in goals allowed (7) and goals against average (0.45).
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Hawkeyes rank second in the nation in save percentage (.921), behind Florida State. Iowa’s goalkeeper rotation of freshmen Meg Goodson and Hannah Clark have highlighted the defense this season. Both rank among the top in the conference. Clark ranks first in the Big Ten in save percentage (.932), second in goals against average (0.37) and ninth in saves (41). She ranks second in the nation in save percentage and seventh in goals against average. The Fort Collins, Colo., native has allowed three goals in over 725 minutes played. Goodson ranks fourth in the Big Ten in save percentage (.895) and fourth in goals against average (0.62). The Van Meter, Iowa, native has allowed four goals in 540 minutes played. Goodson has an active shutout streak of 242 minutes.
CONSISTENCY IN THE LINEUP
Stability in the lineup has been an asset for Iowa, who has started the same player for every match in eight of 11 positions. Jade Grimm, Katie Brown, Melanie Pickert, Kat Lewis, Anne Marie Thomas, Ashley Catrell, Katie Nasenbenny and Dana Dalrymple have started every match. Alex Melin and Cloe Lacasse have started all but one match this season.
HAWKEYE `D’ SHUTTING DOWN THE BEST
The Hawkeyes have seen four of the Big Ten’s top-10 goal scorers this season in Taylor Uhl (13), Nkem Ezurike (8), Jordan Pawlik (7) and Lisa Nouanesengsy (7). None have scored against Iowa.
LACASSE, CATRELL LEAD ATTACK
Sophomore Cloe Lacasse ranks second in the Big Ten in goals scored (11), while junior Ashley Catrell ranks ninth (7). Lacasse leads Iowa with 28 points off 11 goals and six assists. She has 46 shots and four game-winning goals. Lacasse ranks third in the conference in points. Catrell leads Iowa with 47 shots, and has tallied 17 points off seven goals and three assists.
STAT FACTS
The Hawkeyes rank near the top of the Big Ten in several major categories. Iowa ranks first in shots (245), penalty kick accuracy (3-3), saves (82) and shutouts (10), second in points (96), goals (35), goals allowed (7), goals against average (0.45), victory margin (+1.87) and goals per game (2.33), and fourth in assists (26) and corners (65). Iowa ranks 24th in the nation in scoring offense.
IOWA IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa sits at 44th in the NSCAA RPI Poll, and is receiving votes in the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll. The Hawkeyes remained third in the NSCAA Great Lakes Poll behind Penn State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes also rank 32nd in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 64 Rankings.
HAWKEYES PERFECT AT HOME
The Hawkeyes are undefeated within the confines of the Iowa Soccer Complex, sporting a 6-0-0 record at home. Iowa has outscored its opponents 19-3 at home, and is one of two undefeated and untied teams at home in the league.
HAWKEYES DOMINATING STATS
Iowa has looked just as impressive in the stat book as it has on the field this season. Iowa averages 2.33 goals per match, while its opponents average just .47 goals per match. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 35-7 this season. Iowa holds a 245-220 advantage in shots, 113-89 in shots on goal and 69-58 lead in corner kicks. Iowa has a .461 shot on goal percentage, and is averaging 16.3 shots per game.
HAWKEYES START FAST
Iowa has taken a lead into halftime in 11 of 15 matches this season, and has trailed heading into the break just once. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 19-2 in the first half.
IOWA FINISHES PERFECT IN NONCONFERENCE
Iowa finished undefeated in nonconference play for the second consecutive season. Iowa went 9-0-0 and outscored its opponents 30-3 before opening Big Ten play. Iowa has won its last 18 nonconference matches, outscoring its opponents 71-8 in that stretch. Iowa is undefeated in its past 19 nonconference matches, with its last loss coming on Sept. 19, 2010.
TEAM CAPTAINS
The Hawkeyes have three team captains this season. Senior Dana Dalrymple and juniors Alex Melin and Kat Lewis were voted as captains by their teammates.
Ron Rainey
Iowa head coach Ron Rainey enters his seventh season at the helm of the program as the winningest coach in program history. Rainey has 63 victories with the Hawkeyes, and sports a 154-120-38 overall coaching record. Rainey guided Iowa to its most successful season in program history last year, as Iowa went 13-4-3 and had its highest winning percentage ever. Rainey has guided the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten Tournaments, and has helped five Hawkeyes earn All-Big Ten honors.