Oct. 15, 2015
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Iowa soccer team notched its first Big Ten win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Illinois on Thursday night at the Illinois Soccer Stadium. Senior Hannah Clark made five saves en route to her 36th career victory — a new program record.
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“I am very happy for this group of girls with today’s win,” said head coach Dave DiIanni. “We beat a very good Illinois team tonight by staying committed to our game plan and competing for an entire 90 minutes. We were able to create more chances tonight by getting more numbers forward and we were fortunate enough to capitalize on one of those opportunities.”
After a scoreless first half, the Hawkeyes grabbed the 1-0 lead early in the second half. In the 62nd minute, freshman Alina Magruder beat the Illini defenders and fired a shot that deflected off the crossbar before ricocheting off Illinois’ Hope D’Addario — resulting in an own goal.
The Illini frantically tried to net the equalizer, firing seven shots over the final 20 minutes, but Iowa held off the Illinois offensive to notch its first Big Ten win of the season.
The Fighting Illini finished with a 16-9 edge in shots with six being on goal. Clark made five saves to post her sixth shutout of the season.
“Nothing seemed to go our way this year in the Big Ten conference but we kept telling the girls that if they stayed the course our time would come,” said DiIanni. “Now we need to try and springboard this momentum into wins in the near future.”
The Hawkeyes (7-7-1, 1-6-1) return to action Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT), facing off against No. 24 Northwestern at Toyota Park.
