Aug. 27, 2014
- Read the June issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 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 University of Iowa soccer team opens its 2014 home schedule with a pair of matches at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The Hawkeyes open the weekend by hosting Fresno State on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) before squaring off against Butler on Sept. 1 for a Labor Day showdown at 1 p.m.
 |
ON THE WEB
Iowa soccer fans can follow both contests via live stats (GameTracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “GT” link found on both the front page and the soccer schedule page to access the live stats feed. Fans can also follow @HawkeyeSoccer for live in-game updates.
PROMOTIONS
Friday’s game against Fresno State is “Back to School Day” at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The first 250 fans will receive free glow necklaces, posters, and schedule cards. Monday’s contest is being billed as “Dollar Dog Day.”
QUICK HITTERS
? Iowa opened the season with two consecutive wins for the fourth-straight season with victories over Northern Iowa (1-0, 2OT) and Illinois Chicago last weekend.
? The Hawkeyes have won 27-straight regular season nonconference games. Iowa went 8-0 in non-league games in 2011 and 2013 and 9-0 in 2012.
? Sophomore Bri Toelle and senior Cloe Lacasse gave Iowa a quick early advantage in its victory at Illinois Chicago, as the pair each scored a goal in a span of 47 seconds to give the Hawkeyes a 2-0 lead.
? Iowa is out-shooting its opponents, 42-17, in two games this season, which includes a 21-3 edge in shots on goal.
? Senior goalkeeper Kiley Beck is tops in the Big Ten in shutouts, after blanking both Northern Iowa and Illinois Chicago during the season-opening weekend. She is also tied for tops in the league in save percentage (1.000) and goals against average (0.00).
? Senior Cloe Lacasse is one of 11 league players with two goals in 2014. The Canadian also has a league-high 14 shots.
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE
Sixth-year head coach Brian Zwaschka and the Bulldogs (1-1) travel to Iowa City on Friday after suffering a 3-0 loss to Gonzaga at home last Sunday. Fresno State opened the season with a 2-1 overtime victory over Eastern Washington. Jaycee Bingham has scored the Bulldogs’ lone goal on seven shots, while Alyssa Wilson has made 10 saves in goal. Fresno State returns six starters from a team that finished 10-8-2 overall and 7-2-1 in the Mountain West Conference last season.
FRESNO STATE VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
Friday marks the first meeting in the all-time series between the two schools.
SCOUTING BUTLER
Butler owns a 1-1 record after competing in the Boilermaker Challenge hosted by Purdue University last weekend. The Bulldogs defeated Ohio, 3-2, in double overtime before falling to Miami (Ohio), 1-0. Senior Kelly Mahoney leads the Bulldogs in goals scored with two, including the game winner against Ohio. Butler returns eight starters from last year’s team that finished 11-7-2 overall.
BUTLER VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
Monday’s contest will be the first ever between the two programs.
LAST GAME
Senior Cloe Lacasse scored two goals in a 4-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Aug. 24 in Chicago. Sophomore Bri Toelle and senior Melanie Pickert each added goals, their first of the season. It was the second-straight shutout for the Hawkeyes.
NEW FACE AT THE HELM
First-year head coach Dave DiIanni takes over the Hawkeyes’ program after a successful run at Grand Valley State. DiIanni amassed a 221-18-18 record with the Lakers and guided the team to three NCAA Division II national championships and nine-consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference titles.
Assistant coach Erica Demers joins the Hawkeye staff after spending the last nine years with DiIanni at Grand Valley State.
DIIANNI IN GOOD COMPANY
In 11 seasons at Grand Valley State, head coach Dave DiIanni posted a 221-18-18 overall record for a .895 winning percentage. The mark was the third-best all-time in women’s soccer history entering the 2014 season.
NEWCOMERS SHINE
? Freshman Katharine Woodruff got the Hawkeyes on the scoreboard in 2014 when she netted the game-winning goal in the 1-0 double-overtime win at Northern Iowa on Sept. 22.
? Freshman Aubree Larson tallied a pair of assists in Iowa’s 4-0 win at Illinois-Chicago. She is tops on the team and tied for third in the Big Ten in the category.
IOWA SEVENTH IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked seventh in the initial Great Lakes Region poll, released by the NSCAA on Aug. 26. Big Ten schools occupy the top seven spots and eight of the 10 spots in the rankings.
NONCONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Over the past three-plus seasons, Iowa hasn’t lost a regular season non-league game since the 2010 season. The Hawkeyes have compiled a 27-1 nonconference record during the stretch with the only blemish coming at No. 23 Notre Dame in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
SENIOR EXPERIENCE
Senior Melanie Pickert has started all 66 games of her Iowa career, while fellow seniors Caitlin Brown and Cloe Lacasse have started 65-of-66 games as Hawkeyes.
BECK SHINES IN GOAL
After playing five games in her first three seasons, senior Kiley Beck posted a pair of shutouts in her first two career starts. The Illinois native made a single save in Iowa’s 1-0 win at Northern Iowa before making a pair of saves in a 4-0 triumph over Illinois Chicago. Beck has a 0.00 goals against average in 195:24 minutes in goal with three saves this season.
MOVING ON UP
After her two-goal performance against UIC on Aug. 24, senior Cloe Lacasse is three goals from tying Kate Walse for second place on Iowa’s all-time goal list. Lacasse is also two points shy from tying Walse (88) for second in all-time points.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Kiley Beck, Caitlin Brown, and Melanie Pickert have been voted team captains for the 2014 Iowa soccer team.
LACASSE HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
In three-plus years, junior Cloe Lacasse has made her mark on the Iowa soccer program.
The Sudbury, Ontario, native currently ranks third in career goals (33), points (86), and shots (238), and second in game-winning goals (10) and assists (20).
Lacasse led Iowa in goals scored, points, and shots taken in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
She capped off her junior year by garnering second-team All-Big Ten selection and second-team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors.
RETURN OF THE SCORING LEADERS
Iowa returns three of its top four scorers from last year in seniors Melanie Pickert, Cloe Lacasse and sophomore Bri Toelle. Pickert led the way with seven goals, Lacasse scored six goals last season, pushing her career total to 31, and Toelle added four goals in her first season as a Hawkeye.
3 HAWKEYES ON B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Caitlin Brown, Cloe Lacasse, and Melanie Pickert were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
RETURNING ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS
Cloe Lacasse and Melanie Pickert return for their senior seasons after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors a year ago. Sophomore Amanda Lulek was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshmen team last season.
HAWKEYES ON TV
A total of five The Hawkeyes’ Sept. 25 home contest against Maryland will be broadcast live on BTN. The match will begin at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The BTN will also be televising the Big Ten Tournament from Nov. 5-9 in West Lafayette, Ind.
B1G IN THE POLLS
Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin are ranked in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll of the 2014 season. Penn State is ranked No. 8 in the poll, Michigan came in at No. 10, and Wisconsin was voted No. 19.
Ohio State, Nebraska, and Rutgers all received votes.
NEXT UP
The Hawkeyes return to action Sept. 5, facing Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, in the opening game of the 2014-15 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa follows with a Sept. 7 road matchup at Colorado State.
