Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — September | Purchase Single-Game Tickets | Game Notes (PDF)
THE MATCH-UP
The University of Iowa soccer team heads north for a pair of Big Ten contests, facing No.17 Minnesota on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) before traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, to meet the Badgers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
• Live stats for both games can be found on hawkeyesports.com.
• Both matches will be streamed online via BTN Plus. Visit www.btn2go.com (subscription required) to watch the action.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live game updates.
QUICK HITTERS
• Eleven different Hawkeyes have scored at least one goal in 2016. Iowa had eight players score during the 2015 campaign.
• Of Iowa’s 22 goals, 14 have come in the second half or later, with one goal in overtime and 13 in the second half.
• Senior Bri Toelle ranks third in the Big Ten in shots per game (3.64), fourth in shots (40), and 11th in goals (5).
• Iowa has started at least five freshmen in every game this season.
• Eight players – Rose Ripslinger, Devin Burns, Natalie Winters, Isabella Blackman, Kaleigh Haus, Rachele Armand, Morgan Kemerling, and Olivia Fiegel – have scored the first goals of their careers this season.
• Senior Bri Toelle leads the team in goals (5) and points (12).
• Junior Karly Stuenkel is second on the team with four goals and three assists for 11 points this season.
• Iowa had a six-game winning streak from Aug. 21-Sept. 9. It was the longest streak for the program since 2013.
• Iowa is outshooting opponents by a margin of 203-163, and outscoring opposing teams, 22-21, in 13 contests.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota brings a 9-3-1 overall record into Thursday’s match, including a 3-1-1 mark in Big Ten play. The Gophers fell, 1-0, in overtime against Wisconsin last weekend. It is Minnesota’s only Big Ten loss this season.
• The Gophers are ranked 17th in the NSCAA poll and have the 29th best RPI in the nation.
• Minnesota leads the Big Ten in goals (28), shots (222), and points (80). The Gophers sit fifth in the conference standings.
• Minnesota has scored 28 goals in 13 games with Simone Kolander leading the team with nine goals and 22 points. She is leading the Big Ten in goals and points. Six different Gophers have scored — three of which have five or more.
• Gopher goalkeeper, Tarah Hobbs, has 40 saves between the posts, with a 0.68 goals against average, she has started every match for Minnesota.
MINNESOTA VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
• Minnesota leads Iowa in its all-time series, 11-4-4. The Hawkeyes last defeated the Gophers in 2014, shutting them out, 1-0, in Minneapolis, en route to a 14-7-1 overall record for head coach Dave DiIanni’s debut season at Iowa.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
• Wisconsin is 5-4-4 this season, which includes a 1-1-3 home record.
• The Badgers are 2-2-1 in league play, defeating Minnesota its last time out, 1-0, and Purdue on Sept. 23, 3-1, marking Wisconsin’s single game goals record this season.
• Wisconsin has scored 15 goals this season, with 12 assists off a total of 207 shots, with Micaela Powers and Emily Borgmann leading the team in goals with three apiece. Eight different Badgers have scored this season — five of which have multiple goals.
• Rose Lavelle leads the team with 50 shots, ranking second in the Big Ten.
• Goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem has played every minute between the posts making 45 saves with a 0.84 goals against average with four shutouts.
WISCONSIN VS. IOWA — THE SERIES
• Iowa trails Wisconsin, 12-5-3, in the all-time series. The Hawkeyes last defeated the Badgers in its 2012 campaign where Iowa won 2-1.
FAB FIVE
Five freshmen have scored their first career goals for the Hawkeyes this season. Devin Burns leads the class with three, while Olivia Fiegel has two, Natalie Winters, Isabella Blackman, and Kaleigh Haus have all scored once.
LAST TIME OUT
Iowa won its first Big Ten contest last weekend, downing Purdue, 1-0. Freshman Devin Burns scored in the third minute, marking her third goal of the season. Iowa hadn’t scored a goal in a Big Ten match this season prior to the Purdue game. The shutout was goalkeeper Claire Graves’ third of the season.
GAME-WINNING GOALS
Five different Hawkeyes have scored game-winning goals this season. Bri Toelle and Devin Burns have tallied two apiece, while Isabella Blackman, Olivia Fiegel, and Karly Stuenkel have each recorded one.
TOELLE PACES TEAM
Senior Bri Toelle leads the team with five goals and 12 points this season. The Virginia native tied her career best five goals from last season. She led the team with 15 points and five assists in 2015. She is tied for third in the Big Ten in shots per game, fourth in shots, and 11th in goals.
OFFENSIVE BARRAGE
• Through the first 13 games of the season, the Hawkeyes are one of the top offensive teams in the Big Ten. Iowa ranks in the top five in four different offensive categories — fourth in goals (22), fourth in points (64), tied for fifth in assists (20), and fourth in shots (203).
• The Hawkeyes have scored two or more goals in six games, including five strikes in a victory over SIUE. They were the most goals since 2012.
• Iowa’s five goal output is tied for the high water mark in the Big Ten this season and the team’s seven assists are the most in the conference in a game this season.
IN GOAL
Freshman Claire Graves has started every game for the Hawkeyes, making 51 saves — the third-most in the Big Ten — and posting a 1.70 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.
• Graves made a career-high nine saves in the 1-0 loss to Michigan on Sept. 16.
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.
B1G HONORS
Iowa has earned weekly Big Ten Conference recognition twice during the 2016 season.
• Junior Karly Stuenkel was the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6 after scoring three goals and adding an assist in Iowa wins over Colorado State and SIU Edwardsville.
• Forward Olivia Fiegel was the Freshman of the Week on Sept. 13 after scoring goals in road games at Iowa State and Colorado. The goal against the Cyclones was her first career game-winner.
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.
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 return to the Iowa Soccer Complex for their final homestead, hosting Northwestern on Oct. 13 and Illinois on Oct. 16.
