Nov. 9, 2013
THE MATCH-UP
The seventh-seeded University of Iowa soccer team makes its first Big Ten championship game appearance in school history, facing top-seeded and 18th-ranked Nebraska on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) in Champaign, Ill. The match will be televised live on the BTN from the Illinois Soccer Stadium.
LIVE ON THE BTN
Sunday’s championship game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Dan Kelly will handle the play-by-play, while Danielle Slaton will serve as the color commentator. Fans can also follow the action live on GameTracker and via Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer).
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are 2-6-1 in nine all-time tournament games, which includes a 1-0 victory over No. 7 Michigan on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, and a 1-0 triumph over No. 20 Penn State on Friday in the semifinals. The wins were the first two postseason victories in Iowa soccer history. Iowa is playing for its first Big Ten title (regular season or tournament) on Sunday.
MAKING HISTORY
With 1-0 triumph over No. 7 Michigan and No. 20 Penn State in the 2013 Big Ten Tournament, the Iowa soccer team…
? Has posted the first two postseason victories in school history. Iowa had previously been 0-6-1 in seven all-time Big Ten Tournament appearances.
? Notched its 15th victory of the season, extending its program record for wins in a single season. Iowa has won 12 or more games in each of the last three seasons for the first time in program history.
? Posted its third victory over a ranked opponent of the season and its second triumph over Penn State in program history.
? Recorded its third victory over a top-10 RPI team this season. Michigan had an RPI of six entering Wednesday’s game, while Penn State, who Iowa beat 3-2 on Oct. 25 and 1-0 on Nov. 8, had an RPI of nine. The Huskers had an RPI of seven entering the Big Ten Tournament.
B1G QUICKIES
? Iowa did not make a substitution in the quarterfinal victory over Michigan, and used just one sub in the semifinal win over Penn State. Iowa has used 13 players total in its last five games with the starters playing all but 86 minutes. Iowa’s starters have accounted for all but nine minutes in this Big Ten Tournament.
? The Hawkeyes are the first No. 7 seed to advance to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament since the 2005 season when Wisconsin won the title, defeating No. 8 seed Michigan, 3-1. The seven seed has advanced to the final three times in Big Ten history, winning the title each time (Indiana, `96; Ohio State, `02; Wisconsin, `05).
? Freshman Bri Toelle has three points to pace the Hawkeyes at the Big Ten Tournament. The Colorado native netted the game-wnner in Iowa’s 1-0 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Michigan before tallying an assist on a corner kick in the 1-0 semifinal triumph over No. 20 Penn State.
CLARK WITH THE SAVE
Sophomore Hannah Clark tied a career-high, making eight saves to lift Iowa to a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 20 Penn State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Colorado native withstood 25 Nittany Lion shots to preserve the shutout — the 10th for the Hawkeyes this season. The 10 shutouts are a team and individual school record and lead the Big Ten.
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
Melanie Pickert’s goal in the 20th minute propelled the UI soccer team to a 1-0 victory over No. 20 Penn State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Pickert scored following a corner kick from freshman Bri Toelle. Sophomore Hannah Clark withstood a 25-shot Nittany Lion attack, making eight saves to notch her 10th shutout this season.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Nebraska, the Big Ten regular season champions, brings a 17-3-1 overall record into Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament final. The top-seeded and 18th-ranked Huskers have won eight straight contests, including wins over Minnesota (4-1) and Indiana (3-1) in the B1G Tournament. Nebraska’s last loss was a 2-1 home setback Oct. 6 against No. 21 Michigan. The Huskers have scored 48 goals, while giving up 22 on the year. Jaycie Johnson leads Nebraska with 12 goals, while Jordan Jackson, the B1G Midfielder of the Year, paces the team with 27 points (nine goals, nine assists). Mayme Conroy is second on the team with 10 goals. Ari Romero was tabbed as the B1G Defender of the Year. Emma Stevens has played all but 52 minutes in goal, posting a 1.04 goals against average, making 81 saves and notching three shutouts. Nebraska is led by John Walker, the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Walker led the Huskers to their first Big Ten title and first regular season crown since 2000.
THE SERIES
Nebraska is undefeated in six games against Iowa. The Huskers won the 2013 regular season matchup, 2-1, in Lincoln on an own goal in the 81st minute. Junior Katie Nasenbenny scored an equalizing goal at the 58:47 mark in the contest.
GREAT TIME FOR FIRST GAME WINNER
Freshman Bri Toelle picked the most opportune time to tally the first game-winning goal of her career. The Colorado native scored in the 62nd minute to send the Hawkeyes to a 1-0 victory over No. 7 Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Toelle’s initial shot at Wolverine goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin was saved, but Toelle collected the rebound and fired it into the lower right corner of the net for the game-winner. The strike was her fourth goal this season.
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.
CLARK IN B1G
Sophomore Hannah Clark is among the Big Ten leaders in three statistical categories. The Colorado native’s 10 shutouts and 0.48 shutouts per game lead the conference, while her 0.93 goals against average ranks second in the conference.
LACASSE’S GAME-WINNERS
Junior Cloe Lacasse has scored the game-winning goal in two of Iowa’s four victories, a 3-2 triumph 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.
A CONSTANT IN THE MIDFIELD
Since arriving on campus in 2010, Alex Melin has been a constant in the Iowa lineup. The Wisconsin native has started all 80 games of her Hawkeye career.
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 Hawkeyes’ 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.
CAREER HIGHS FOR PICKERT
Junior Melanie Pickert has set career highs in goals (6) and points (16) this season, while attempting a career high 49 shots. The Canton, Mich., native has scored three game-winning goals, the first three of her career.. Pickert has also been a key component of an Iowa defense that has a Big Ten-leading 10 shutouts.
QUICK STARTS
Iowa has scored the game’s first goal in 16-of-21 matches this season. The Hawkeyes are unbeaten (15-0-1) when notching the game’s first goal and 9-1-0 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 1,925 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 11.1 shots per game.
IOWA TIED FOR 6TH IN GREAT LAKES REGION RANKING
The Hawkeyes are tied for sixth in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Great Lakes Region rankings that were released Nov. 5. Big Ten teams occupy eight of the 10 teams ranked.
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 junior Melanie Pickert has six goals and senior Ashley Catrell has five goals. Lacasse’s seven assists are tied for the ninth-most in the Big Ten.
OUTSHOOTING, OUT SCORING
In 21 games, Iowa has out shot its opponents, 34-234. The Hawkeyes have limited the opposition to 95 shots on goal and a .085 shot percentage. Offensively, Iowa has a 34-20 advantage in goals.
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 (222). 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.
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.
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 80-65-18 record, which includes 40 victories the past two plus seasons.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior Alex Melin and junior Caitlin Brown have been voted team captains for the 2013 Iowa soccer team.
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.
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.