Oct. 23, 2015
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A season-high three goals in Big Ten play — two off the foot of sophomore Karly Stuenkel — were not enough as Nebraska handed the University of Iowa soccer team a 5-3 defeat on Senior Night at the Iowa Soccer Complex.
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“I thought this was a game we could have won for our senior class,” said UI head coach Dave DiIanni. “They are wonderful people, great leaders and have invested so much into this program. Hannah Clark has been a cornerstone for this program for four years and I just wish we could have been a little bit tighter for her defensively today.”
Nebraska took a, 1-0, lead early when Caroline Flynn headed the ball past senior Hannah Clark off a corner kick from Sydney Miramontez in the first two minutes of the game.
Iowa came roaring back to take a 2-1 lead after a pair of goals from freshman Hannah Kousheh and Stuenkel. Kousheh’s first goal of the season came in the 17th minute after she beat out the Husker defense and fired the ball past Nebraska goalkeeper Erika Johnson. Stuenkel put the Hawkeyes up, 2-1, heading in a crossing corner kick from junior Bri Toelle at the 20-minute mark.
Nebraska tied things up at the 29th minute when Haley Hanson connected a pass with teammate Miramontez and fired a shot past Clark. With time winding down in the opening half, Nebraska’s Miramontez bent a corner kick into the upper corner, giving the Huskers a 3-2 lead at the break.
The Huskers tallied their fourth goal at 51:51 when Flynn received a pass from Caroline Buelt before Iowa answered immediately. Toelle sent the ball to Stuenkel, who broke away and chipped a shot over Johnson to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Huskers scored their final goal in the 55th minute when Hanson acquired a pass from teammate Michaela Loebel and fired the ball into the upper corner.
Nebraska finished with an 18-9 edge in shots for the game with 10 being on goal. Clark totaled five saves in 90 minutes of action. Iowa’s three goals are the most Nebraska has given up in Big Ten play this season.
“It is frustrating but our kids have been working hard and have been committed to us during this tough year,” said DiIanni. “We are getting better and gaining a lot of experience, I just wish we could have won this one for the seniors today.”
The Hawkeyes return to action against No. 10 Rutgers on Oct. 28 for their season finale. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. (CT).
