Iowa Downs Pacific In Season Opener

Aug. 21, 2015

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Junior Bri Toelle‘s first half goal helped propel the University of Iowa soccer team to a season-opening 1-0 victory over Pacific on Friday night at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

It didn’t take long for the Hawkeyes to get on the board as Toelle found the back of the net less than 20 minutes into to the game. Juniors Rachele Armand and Corey Burns were credited with assists on the play.

“Corey did a great job at picking her head up and made sure I ran across and stayed on side,” said Toelle. “I think it was timed perfectly and I was able to place it.”

Toelle’s goal was all Iowa needed as the Hawkeye defense did its part to hold the Tigers scoreless. The Hawkeye offense continued to be aggressive in the second half, firing off eight shots to push their total to 15 for the evening.

“This was a good game for us,” said UI head coach Dave DiIanni. “We were organized defensively, we competed, specifically the young kids, all game long.

“We never found a tempo or found the ball as much as we would have liked, but it was a great start for this young group.”

Senior Hannah Clark tallied six saves on the way to her first shutout of the season, bringing her record total to 21 career shutouts.

“That’s two games and two shutouts (Iowa beat Illinois State, 1-0, in an exhibition), so that’s a good start,” said Dilanni. “It’s only going to get more challenging for us.”

The Hawkeyes are back in action Sunday, hosting Nebraska Omaha at 1 p.m. (CT).