Nov. 5, 2013
- 2013 Big Ten Tournament Central
- Read the November issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2013 Iowa Soccer Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Download your Hawk Talk Monthly iOS app
- Download your Hawk Talk Monthly android app
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THE MATCH-UP
The seventh-seeded University of Iowa soccer team opens Big Ten Tournament play Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. (CT) against No. 2 seed and eighth-ranked Michigan. The tournament is being held at the Illinois Soccer Stadium in Champaign, Ill., from Nov. 6-10.
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are 0-6-1 in seven all-time tournament appearances. The 2013 season marks Iowa’s third straight Big Ten Tournament appearance. The Hawkeyes tied Michigan State, 0-0, in 2011, but fell in a penalty shootout before falling 2-0 to top-seeded Penn State in 2012. Iowa has played Michigan once in tournament play, falling 2-0 in 2000 in Champaign. The Hawkeyes are the seventh seed for the first time. They have been the No. 3 seed once and the No. 6 and No. 8 seeds three times each.
B1G QUICKIES
– Iowa went 2-4-1 against the other seven teams that advanced to the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes posted victories over Indiana (1-0) and Penn State (3-2), while tying Minnesota (1-1).
– Iowa was one of five schools to score a goal against the Wolverines during Big Ten play (Minnesota, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan State).
– Iowa has used 13 players total in its last three games with the starters playing all but 77 minutes.
– The winner of the Iowa-Michigan game will face the winner of Penn State/Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Friday.
TOP-FIVE FINISH
Iowa finished in a three-way tie for fifth place in the final Big Ten regular season standings. It is the third top-five showing in the program’s 17-year history. The Hawkeyes finished third in 1999 and tied for fifth in 2011 and 2013.
3 HAWKEYES GARNER ALL-B1G HONORS
Juniors Cloe Lacasse and Melanie Pickert were tabbed as second team All-Big Ten honorees for the 2013 season. The pair are the sixth and seventh such honorees in school history and the first for the program since 2011. Freshman Amanda Lulek was selected to the All-Freshman team, while senior Alex Melin received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
LAST GAME
With its Big Ten Tournament hopes on the line, Iowa downed Purdue, 2-0, on Nov. 2, at the Iowa Soccer Complex to punch its ticket to Champaign. Junior Cloe Lacasse scored in the 10th minute and added an insurance goal in the 58th minute, and sophomore Hannah Clark made six saves en route to her eighth shutout of the season.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Second-seeded Michigan brings an eight-game winning streak into the 2013 Big Ten Tournament, which has pushed the Wolverines’ record to 15-2-1 this season. The Wolverines, who are ranked seventh in the CSCAA Coaches Poll, posted a 9-1-1 conference record to finish as the Big Ten regular sesaon runner-up. The team’s last loss came Sept. 29 to Minnesota (1-0). Forward Nkem Ezurike leads the Michigan offense with 11 goals and nine assists. Ezurike became the Wolverines’ all-time scoring leader on Oct. 20 in a victory over Purdue. On the year, 13 different players have scored at least one goal this season for Michigan. The Wolverines’ defense has been stellar in 2013, allowing just nine goals in 18 games and five in 11 Big Ten contests. Goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin has played all but 21 minutes in between the posts for Michigan, posting a 0.44 goals against average, making 63 saves and posting nine shutouts. She has recorded a shutout in five of the last six games.
THE SERIES
The Wolverines lead the all-time series over Iowa, 14-2-2. Iowa’s last victory came during the 2009 season, winning 2-1 in Iowa City. Michigan won the 2013 matchup, 2-1, behind goals from Nkem Ezurike and Kayla Mannino. Iowa’s Bri Toelle scored her first career goal for the Hawkeyes in the game.
IOWA TIES WIN RECORD
Iowa posted its 13th victory of the season when it downed Purdue, 2-0, on Nov. 2 in its regular season finale. The 13 victories ties the 1999 and 2011 squad for the most wins in school history. Iowa has reached double digit win totals in each of the past three seasons, the first time the program has accomplished the feat in school history.
LACASSE EARNS B1G HONOR
Junior Cloe Lacasse was selected as the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both goals in Iowa’s 2-0 victory over Purdue to send the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament. The two-goal performance was forward’s first of the season and sixth of her career. The honor is Lacasse’s first Offensive Player of the Week nod. She is the first Iowa player to receive the accolade since Keli McLaughlin in 2009.
DOWN GOES PENN STATE
Iowa defeated No. 16 Penn State for the first time in school history on Oct. 25 by a score of 3-2 — the first win in 18 tries. Junior Cloe Lacasse scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute, securing the Hawkeye’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2008.
NASENBENNY NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Junior Katie Nasenbenny has been named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-District team. The midfielder from LaGrange, Ill., is now eligible to earn Academic All-America honors following the conclusion of the season.
A CONSTANT
Since arriving on campus in 2010, Alex Melin has been a constant in the Iowa lineup. The Wisconsin native has played and started all 78 games of her Hawkeye career.
CAREER HIGHS FOR PICKERT
Junior Melanie Pickert has set career highs in goals (5) and points (14) this season, while attempting a career high 47 shots. The Canton, Mich., native has scored two game-winning goals, the first two of her career. Pickert has also been a key component of an Iowa defense that is tied for second in the Big Ten with eight shutouts.
QUICK STARTS
Iowa has scored the game’s first goal in 14-of-19 matches this season. The Hawkeyes are undefeated (13-0-1) when notching the game’s first goal and 8-1-0 when netting the first goal in the first half.
IRON WOMEN
Juniors Caitlin Brown and Emily Scott are the only two position players to play every minute for the Hawkeyes in 2013, logging 1,745 minutes apiece. Goalkeeper Hannah Clark, who has also played every minute of the season, has thrived with Brown and Scott leading a defense that allows only 10.2 shots per game.
IOWA TIED FOR 7TH IN GREAT LAKES REGION
The Hawkeyes are tied for seventh in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Great Lakes Region rankings that were released Oct. 29. Big Ten teams take up eight of the 10 spots in the poll; Michigan (1), Nebraska (2), Penn State (4), Indiana (5), Ohio State (6), Wisconsin (8), and Minnesota (9).
CLARK IN B1G
Sophomore Hannah Clark ranks second in the Big Ten in three different statistical categories. The Colorado native’s eight shutouts, 0.42 shutouts per game and 1.03 goals against average each rank second in the conference.
LACASSE’S GAME-WINNERS
Junior Cloe Lacasse has scored the game-winning goal in each of Iowa’s last two victories, a 3-2 triump over No. 16 Penn State on Oct. 25 and a 2-0 victory over Purdue on Nov. 2. The Ontario native now has 10 career game-winning strikes, the second-most in school history. Former Hawkeye Sarah Lynch holds the school record with 20 career game-winning goals.
NONCONFERENCE DOMINANCE
The Hawkeyes have been dominant in non-league competition dating back to the 2011 season. The Hawkeyes have compiled a 25-0 nonconference record during the stretch. Iowa’s last nonconference loss came during the 2010 season against Nebraska, a year before it joined the Big Ten. Since the 2011 season, the Hawkeyes have out scored their nonconference opponents, 81-12.
BALANCED SCORING
Eight different Iowa players have scored at least one goal in 2013. Junior Cloe Lacasse leads the Hawkeyes in goals (6), assists (7) and points 19), while senior Ashley Catrell and junior Melanie Pickert each have five strikes. Lacasse’s seven assists are tied for the eighth-most in the Big Ten.
OUTSHOOTING, OUT SCORING
In 19 games, Iowa has out shot its opponents, 320-193. The Hawkeyes have limited the opposition to 84 shots on goal and a .104 shot percentage. Offensively, Iowa has a 32-20 advantage in goals.
BREAKING RECORDS, BEATING RIVALS
The Hawkeyes continued their dominance over Iowa State on Sept. 6, beating the Cyclones 3-0 in front of a record crowd of 1,594 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The crowd bested the previous high mark of 975 fans set in the 2011 season. The win was the sixth-straight for Iowa in the series. In those six games, Iowa has out scored the Cyclones 19-4.
CLARK EARNS B1G HONOR
Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Clark was selected as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3 after posting consecutive shutouts and leading the Hawkeyes to the team title at the Pacific Soccer Classic. The Fort Collins, Colo., native made six saves on the weekend and had a 0.00 goals against average and a 1.000 saves percentage. The honor was the second of Clark’s career.
LACASSE HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
In two-plus years, junior Cloe Lacasse has made her mark on the Iowa soccer program. The Sudbury, Ontario, native is currently second in career goals (31) and game-winning goals (10), and third in points (82) and shots (215). Lacasse has led Iowa in goals scored, points, and shots taken in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Lacasse was named Iowa’s MVP in 2012, scoring goals in each of the team’s first nine matches. She was named to the Madness’ 2012 All-Big Ten first-team by CollegeSportsMadness.com, and was an All-Great Lakes Region second team honoree by the NSCAA.
ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH
In his eighth season as Iowa head coach, Ron Rainey is the winningest coach in school history. He has compiled a 78-65-18 record, which includes 38 victories the past two plus seasons. The stretch is the best in program history, including a 13-win season in 2011.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior Alex Melin and junior Caitlin Brown have been voted team captains for the 2013 Iowa soccer team.
HAWKEYES TAKE TOURNEY TITLE
After defeating UC Davis on Aug. 30 and Pacific on Sept. 1, the Hawkeyes captured the Pacific Soccer Classic team title. Senior Alex Melin, juniors Melanie Pickert, Caitlin Brown, Cloe Lacasse, and sophomore Hannah Clark were named to the all-tournament team.