Oct. 29, 2014
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- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THE MATCH-UP
The University of Iowa soccer team concludes the regular season Friday with a matchup at Nebraska. The Hawkeyes take on the Huskers at the Nebraska Soccer Field at 3:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Friday’s game at Nebraska live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go. The subscription-based service can be accessed on www.btn2go.com.
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ON THE WEB
Iowa soccer fans can follow Friday’s contest 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.
QUICK HITTERS
? The Hawkeyes are currently tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings with a 7-4-1 record and have clinched a berth in the Big Ten Tournament. The seven wins are tied for the most league victories in program history. Iowa is vying for its third top-five finish since 2011.
? Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten with 10 shutouts, seven by Hannah Clark and three by Kiley Beck. The duo has combined to allow 14 goals on the year, ranking fourth in the conference.
? Iowa is out-scoring opponents by a margin of 30-14 and is out-shooting opposing teams, 257-213, in 18 games this season. The 257 shots taken by the Hawkeyes are the fourth most in the Big Ten.
? Senior Cloe Lacasse is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in goals (10), third in points (26), and third in shots (75).
? Among active players in the NCAA, Lacasse ranks ninth in career points (108), 14th in career goals (41), and is tied for 18th in career assists (26). The senior is also 1-of-13 active players to amass at least 30 goals and 20 assists throughout her career, ranking sixth.
? Senior Melanie Pickert ranks third in the conference with four game-winning goals.
? Iowa has used 10 different starting lineups in 18 games this season.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Defending Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Nebraska brings a 7-9-2 overall and a 3-7-2 conference record into Friday’s game. After pulling off winning two-straight over Purdue and Indiana on Oct. 17 and Oct. 19, the Huskers fell at No. 7 Penn State and Ohio State by identical 3-1 scores. Nebraska is 6-3-2 at home this season and has allowed 32 goals — the most in the Big Ten. The Huskers are led by Jaycie Johnson, who has scored 11 goals, ranking third in the league.
NEBRASKA VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
? Nebraska has never lost to Iowa, posting seven wins and zero losses in the all-time series.
? Nebraska and Iowa met twice during the 2013 season, once in the regular season and again in the championship of the Big Ten Tournament with the Huskers winning both matches by scores of 2-1 and 1-0.
LAST GAME
Iowa jumped out of the gate to take an early 1-0 lead at No. 7 Penn State via a Corey Burns strike five minutes into the game. After taking a 1-0 advantage into the break, it was all Penn State in the second half with the Nittany Lions scoring two goals and out-shooting Iowa, 7-2. Penn State tied the game in the 54th-minute when Kori Chapic scored from 25-yards out. Five-and-a-half minutes later, Penn State took the lead for good when Chapic scored her second goal of the game. The 2-1 loss marks the Hawkeyes’ fourth one-goal defeat this season.
HAWKEYES EYEING EIGHTH B1G VICTORY
A win at Nebraska on Friday would give the Hawkeyes their eighth Big Ten victory of the season, which would be the most in program history. Iowa tied the school-record, notching its seventh win Oct. 24 with a 2-1 victory at Ohio State. The Hawkeyes went 7-3-0 en route to a 13-7-0 overall record in 1999.
IOWA CLINCHES SPOT IN B1G TOURNAMENT
For the fourth-straight season, the Hawkeyes are guaranteed a spot in the Big Ten Tournament, where they will be seeded in the Nos. 4-6 range. Iowa advanced to the tournament’s championship game, where it fell, 1-0, to Nebraska. The 2014 Big Ten Tournament will be held in West Lafayette, Indiana, on the campus of Purdue University.
DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN TOTALS
Iowa posted its 10th win of the season for the fourth-consecutive year when it defeated Indiana, 1-0, on Oct. 17 — extending the longest stretch in program history. The Hawkeyes won 13 games in 2011, 12 in 2012 and a school-record 15 games last season.
Cloe Lacasse…
? has scored in six contests this season, including four two-goal games, pushing her career total to 11 as a Hawkeye.
? tallied her 100th career point in Iowa’s 2-0 victory over Illinois on Sept. 11, assisting on Nicole Urban’s strike. Lacasse is the second player in Iowa history to reach the 100-point mark.
? currently ranks second in Iowa history with 41 goals and 108 points. Sarah Lynch is the record holder with 112 points and 46 goals.
? has 10 goals and six assists for 26 points in 2014. As a junior, she had six goals and seven assists in 23 games.
LACASSE, PICKERT IN TOP DRAWER RANKINGS
Seniors Cloe Lacasse and Melanie Pickert were recognized in Top Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Big Ten player rankings, a time frame that covered games from Aug. 8 to Oct. 17. Lacasse was ranked the sixth-best player in the Big Ten and the fourth-best forward. Pickert came in as the second-best defender in the conference and No. 9 overall.
IOWA RECEIVING VOTES IN NSCAA POLL
The Hawkeyes received 11 votes in the NSCAA’s latest poll released on Tuesday afternoon, coming in at No. 28.
IOWA FIFTH IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
For the third-straight week, the Hawkeyes find themselves at the No. 5 spot in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region rankings. Big Ten schools occupy seven spots in the 10-team rankings, including the top six.
THE HAWKEYES ARE…
? 8-2 when leading at the half
? 11-3 when scoring first this season
? 4-1 in Friday games
? 4-3 in Sunday games
CLARK BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD
Junior Hannah Clark posted broke the school record for shutouts on Oct. 2 in a 1-0 victory over Michigan State. Clark currently has 18 career shutouts. Clark posted four-straight shutouts from Sept. 7-20 — a streak that saw 12 saves over the course of 379:26 scoreless minutes. Clark has recorded a streak of four-straight shutouts in back-to-back seasons.
FIRST TIMERS
Sophomore Natalie Krygier became the fourth Hawkeye this season to score her first career goal when she found the back of the net in Iowa’s game at Michigan on Oct. 5. Freshman Aubree Larson and sophomores Amanda Lulek and Corey Burns have also scored their first career goals in 2014.
STELLAR DEFENSE
If you don’t shoot, you can’t score. Iowa’s defense has allowed four or fewer shots on goal in 10 games this season, and the Hawkeyes have allowed fewer than 10 shots in nine contests. In conference play, Iowa is tied for second in shutouts with six and are tied fourth in goals allowed with 10.
GAME-WINNING GOALS
Sophomore Natalie Krygier and senior Emily Scott both recorded their first game-winning goals in wins over Indiana and Purdue. Eight different Hawkeyes have scored game-winners during the 2014 season. Senior Melanie Pickert leads the way with four game-winners.
HAWKEYES DISTRIBUTING
Iowa has tallied 24 assists through 18 games this year. Seven different Hawkeyes have recorded an assist this season. Senior Cloe Lacasse and sophomore Corey Burns lead the team with six.
NOT 1, BUT 2 GKS
Senior Kiley Beck and junior Hannah Clark have split time in goal during the 2014 season. Beck is 4-1 with a 0.43 goals against average with 11 saves and three shutouts. Clark is 8-4-1 with a 0.87 goals against average with 51 saves and seven shutouts. Iowa is ranked 18th nationally with a 0.588 shutout percentage. Prior to the 2014 season, Beck had played in five total games in her first three seasons as a Hawkeye. She posted her first career shutout and win in her first career start — a 1-0 double overtime victory at Northern Iowa on Aug. 23.
IOWA IN NCAA STATS
Iowa ranks in the top-50 in three categories through 18 games. The Hawkeyes are tied for 18th in shutout percentage (0.588), 34th in goals against average (0.690), and are tied for 39th in win percentage (.735).
SEASON HONORS
? Senior Melanie Pickert and sophomore Corey Burns were named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Team of the Week on Sept. 16 after leading Iowa to a pair of shutout victories over Illinois and Northwestern.
? Pickert was also named CS 360’s National Primetime Player of the Week on Sept. 16.
? Junior Hannah Clark was tabbed as the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Sept. 16. She made a combined seven saves in a pair of shutouts over Illinois and Northwestern. On Sept. 23, Clark was tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after compiling five saves in Iowa’s 1-0 shutout victory at Minnesota.
? Senior Cloe Lacasse was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week by the league office on Oct. 20. The honor is the second of Lacasse’s career. Lacasse was also recognized as the Big Ten Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Oct. 21 and an honorable mention at the forward position on Top Drawer Soccer’s latest Team of the Week released on Oct. 22. The Sudbury, Ontario, native scored two goals and tallied a pair of assists in leading the Hawkeyes to victories over Indiana and Purdue.
BROWN: A CONSTANT
Senior Caitlin Brown is the only Iowa player to log every minute of game action this season. The defender has played every minute for the past 52 games dating back to the 2012 season — a streak of 4,909 minutes.
SENIOR EXPERIENCE
Senior Melanie Pickert has started all 82 games of her Iowa career, while fellow seniors Caitlin Brown and Cloe Lacasse have started 81-of-82 games as Hawkeyes.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Kiley Beck, Caitlin Brown, and Melanie Pickert have been voted team captains for the 2014 Iowa soccer team.
IOWA MAKES HISTORY
The week of Sept. 21 was a big one for the Hawkeyes. After starting 3-0 in Big Ten play, marking Iowa’s best start in league play in program history, The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 13 in the Sept. 23 Soccer America rankings, the highest ranking in program history. Iowa also broke into the Top Drawer Soccer Top-25, coming in at No. 25 and received votes in the NSCAA poll.
LACASSE HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
In three-plus years, junior Cloe Lacasse has made her mark on the Iowa soccer program. The Sudbury, Ontario, native is currently second in career goals (41), points (108), shots (299), game-winning goals (12), and assists (26). 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.
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.
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.
B1G IN THE POLLS
Penn State, Wisconsin, and Rutgers are ranked in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll of the 2014 season. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 6, the Badgers follow at No. 11, and the Scarlet Knights come in at No. 23. Iowa is also receiving votes.
NEXT UP
The Hawkeyes begin first round play at the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 5. Game times and pairings are still to be determined. All games will be available BTN2GO with the semifinals and finals being televised live on BTN.
