Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17
THE MATCH-UP
The University of Iowa soccer team puts its five-game winning streak on the line with a pair of road matches this weekend. The Hawkeyes open play Friday, traveling to Ames, Iowa, for an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup at Iowa State. The game will begin at 8 p.m. (CT) at the Cyclone Sports Complex. Iowa closes out the weekend by facing Colorado at noon Sunday at Prentup Field in Boulder
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
• Live stats for both contests will be available on hawkeyesports.com
• Friday’s game at Iowa State will be streamed online at CyclonesTV, while Sunday’s contest will be streamed on the Pac 12 Network.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live game updates.
QUICK HITTERS
• Ten different Hawkeyes have scored at least one goal in 2016. Iowa had eight players score during the 2015 campaign.
• Iowa has started at least five freshmen in every game this season.
• Seven players – Karly Stuenkel, Natalie Winters, Rachele Armand, Morgan Kemerling, Amanda Lulek, Hannah Drkulec, and Claire Graves – have been in the starting lineup in each of the first six contests.
• Seven players – Rose Ripslinger, Devin Burns, Natalie Winters, Isabella Blackman, Kaleigh Haus, Rachele Armand, and Morgan Kemerling – have scored the first goals of their career this season.
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
• Iowa State brings a 4-1-0 record into Friday’s game after posting a pair of shutout victories last weekend in Alabama. The Cyclones knocked off No. 21 Auburn, 1-0, and defeated Georgia, 2-0.
• The Cyclones have posted shutouts in three of their four victories this season. Goalkeeper Lindsey Hendon is the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after earning Co-MVP honors at the Auburn Soccer Classic. Hendon has allowed three goals in 405 minutes, making 22 saves and posting a 0.67 goals against average.
• Iowa State has scored nine goals in five contests with six different players finding the back of the net. Three Cyclone players are tied for the team lead with two goals apiece.
• Iowa and Iowa State have one common foe – Creighton. Iowa lost to the Bluejays, 5-3, in the season opener, while Iowa State downed Creighton, 3-1, Sept. 28.
SCOUTING COLORADO
• The Buffalos are currently on a three-game losing streak, dropping their record to 2-3-0. Colorado has played two common foes as Iowa – Colorado State (W, 2-1) and Missouri (L, 1-2(OT). Iowa defeated both opponents.
• Colorado lost a 2-1 decision to Michigan State in overtime on Sept. 1.
• Five players have accounted for 11 goals for the Buffs with Taylor Kornieck and Sarah Kinzner leading the team with three strikes apiece.
• Jalen Tompkins and Scout Watson have shared time in goal. Tompkins has a 0.85 goal against average, making 20 saves in 424 minutes.
THE SERIES
• Iowa leads the all-time series over Iowa State, 10-6-2. The Hawkeyes have won seven of the last eight meetings in the series, including a 1-0 victory last season in Iowa City. The home team has won the last three contests in the series.
• The Hawkeyes’ last win in Ames came during the 2012 season in a 3-1 triumph.
• Iowa and Colorado have never meet on the soccer pitch. It is the Hawkeyes’ first matchup against a Pac-12 school in program history.
LEADING THE B1G
• Iowa is leading the Big Ten in goals (18), points (54), and assists (18). The Hawkeyes have 109 shots on the record this season, sitting in second in the Big Ten, behind Minnesota.
OFFENSIVE BARRAGE
• Through the first six games of the season, the Hawkeyes are one of the top offensive teams in the nation. Iowa ranks in the top 10 in the country in five different offensive categories — tied for fourth in points (54), fifth in assists (18), tied for sixth in goals (18), tied for seventh in points per game (nine), and tied for ninth in scoring offense (3.0).
• Iowa is also atop the Big Ten statistical rankings in goals, points, and assists.
IN GOAL
Freshman Claire Graves has started every game for the Hawkeyes, making 23 saves — the fourth-most in the Big Ten – and posting a 1.80 goals against average. The Indiana native made seven saves en route to her first career victory at Missouri and she posted her first career shutout in a 1-0 victory over Eastern Michigan. Sophomore Emma Rigby has appeared in two contests, making four saves without allow a goal in 44:57 minutes in goal.
5 & COUNTING
Since dropping their season opener at Creighton, the Hawkeyes have reeled off five straight victories. It is the longest winning streak since the 2013 season when the team won its first eight contests to start the year.
STUENKEL EARNS B1G HONOR
Junior Karly Stuenkel earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6 after scoring three goals and adding an assist in Iowa victories over Colorado State and SIU Edwardsville. It was the first honor of Stuenkel’s career and the first for the program since Cloe Lacasse in 2014.
5-GOAL OUTBURST
The Hawkeyes scored the team’s most goals since 2012 in a 5-1 triumph over SIU Edwardsville on Sept. 4. It concluded a weekend where the team scored nine goals in two contests — the most goals in a two-game stretch since 2011 (10 vs. Western Illinois and at George Washington).
STUENKEL X 2
Junior Karly Stuenkel tallied the second two-goal game of her career in Iowa’s 4-1 victory over Colorado State on Sept. 2. The St. Charles, Illinois, native is one of two Hawkeyes (Bri Toelle) to tally a two-goal game this season. Toelle had her first career multi-goal game in Iowa’s 3-2 win over Wyoming.
Stuenkel, who also had a two goal game against Nebraska last season, is tied for the team lead with four goals and has a team-best 11 points this season. She had five goals and two assists for 12 points as a sophomore.
QUICK STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes needed all of 20 seconds to score a pair of goals against Colorado State on Sept. 2.
• Iowa needed just 1:09 to score two goals in its season opener at Creighton.
• Iowa scored three goals in the first 14:52 in its 5-1 win over SIUE on Sept. 4. The Hawkeyes added two goals late in the second half, scoring goals No. 4 and No. 5 in a 1:21 stretch.
FRESHMEN PHENOMS
• Iowa’s nine player freshmen class was ranked as the 28th-best recruiting class in the nation by BigSoccer.com.
• Two freshmen — Natalie Winters and Hannah Drkulec — have national team experience. Winters has competed in six U18 Women’s National Team camps, while Drkulec played on the Croatian Women’s National Team in 2015.
PUT TO THE TEST
• Iowa won’t shy away from the competition during the nonconference season, as the Hawkeyes will face opponents from the Big East (Creighton), SEC (Missouri), Pac-12 (Colorado), and Big 12 (Iowa State). All four games will be played on the road.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Juniors Rachele Armand and sophomore Aubree Larson are Iowa’s team captains for the 2016 season. Larson will miss the entire season because of injury.
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
The Hawkeyes have two new additions to the coaching staff for the 2016 season in interim assistant coach Nate Castillo and volunteer assistant Chris Early. Both are UI alums. Castillo joins the program after serving as a high school assistant coach at City High in Iowa City, while Early was an assistant coach at Northwestern State last season.
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes will open Big Ten play next weekend, hosting Michigan and Michigan State at the Iowa Soccer Complex.
