Hawk Talk Monthly — October | Fight For Iowa | Week 11 Notes (PDF)
THE MATCH-UP
The University of Iowa soccer team closes out the regular season on the road in Champaign, Illinois, facing the Fighting Illini on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT) at the Illinois Soccer Stadium.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
• Live stats for the contest will be available on hawkeyesports.com by visiting the Iowa soccer schedule page.
• The match will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.
THE SERIES
• Illinois leads the all-time series, 14-7-3. The Hawkeyes last defeated the Illini in Champaign back in 2015.
SORTING OUT THE B1G TOURNEY RACE
The Hawkeyes are currently 10th in the in the Big Ten standings with 11 points, three points behind Nebraska and Purdue for the final Big Ten Tournament qualifying spot.
To advance, Iowa needs a win over Illinois and losses from both Nebraska and Purdue. The Cornhuskers host Minnesota, while the Boilermakers host Maryland. Michigan (12 points) also must lose at Rutgers.
KEEPER OF CROSSES
• Sophomore goalkeeper Claire Graves tied a personal best with nine saves in Iowa’s draw against Nebraska on Oct. 18.
• Graves was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after posting back-to-back shutouts in Hawkeye victories over No. 23 Rutgers and Maryland. It was Graves’ first career honor.
• Graves is 8-7-2 with 64 saves and six shutouts in 2017.
SOPHOMORES STEP UP
• Four sophomores — Devin Burns, Kaleigh Haus, Olivia Fiegel, and Natalie Winters — lead the team in goals, assists, and points.
• The quartet has combined for 21 of Iowa’s 29 goals this season. They also combine for 15 Hawkeye assists in 2017.
• Burns scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season in Iowa’s 4-0 home victory over Maryland on Oct. 8. The eight goals are the most by a Hawkeye since 2014 when Cloe Lacasse scored 10 times.
• Goalkeeper Claire Graves has competed in 1520 minutes of action, collecting 64 saves and six shutouts.
BACK ON BOARD
• Seniors Karly Stuenkel and Corey Burns and sophomore Natalie Winters all collected points in Iowa’s win 2-1 win over Purdue on Oct. 15 in West Lafayette.
• Stuenkel and Winters netted their fourth and second goals of the season, respectively, while Burns notched her second assist of 2017.
• The pair of seniors combine for 53 points during their time with the Hawkeyes.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois (2-8-0, 5-13-0) has lost its last seven matches. The team’s last victory came over Northwestern on Oct. 7.
• The Illini are averaging 8.3 shots per game.
• Goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham is leading the Big Ten with 103 saves this season and is second in conference in saves per game (5.70).
QUICK HITTERS
• Iowa has outscored opponents, 29-21, this season. The team is averaging 13.2 shots per game and has collected 29 goals and 29 assists for 87 points. The team’s 29 assists are the most since 2012 and the 29 goals are the most since 2014.
• The Hawkeyes rank in 47th nationally in assists.
• Iowa’s eight goals, 10 assists, and 26 points against Southern Utah on Aug. 31 are high-water marks in the Big Ten this season.
• Sophomore Claire Graves posted her fifth shutout of the season — and ninth of her career — in Iowa’s 4-0 win over Maryland.
• Senior Karly Stuenkel, junior Rose Ripslinger, and sophomore Natalie Winters were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. Stuenkel is Iowa’s 2017 team captain
B1G LEADERS
• The Hawkeyes are fourth in the Big Ten in assists (29) and fifth in points (85). They are tied for fifth in goals (28), goals per game (1.65), and assists per game (1.71).
• Sophomores Devin Burns is tied for fourth in the league in points per game (1.24) and tied for third in game winning goals (3).
• Burns is also tied for fifth in goals per game (.470) and goals (8).
RECORDS, RECORDS, WE LIKE RECORDS
• Iowa tied a single-game goals record in its 8-1 victory over Southern Utah on Aug. 31. It was the third time in program history the team scored eight goals in a game and the first since 1998 during the program’s second season.
• Sophomore Devin Burns tied a pair of individual single-game records in the triumph over Southern Utah. The forward tallied the eighth hat trick in school history, tying the goals record, and she added an assist to become the third Hawkeye — first since 2003 — to finish with seven points in a match. Burns was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5.
• Sophomore Natalie Winters tied a single-game assists record in Iowa’s 5-1 victory at Richmond. She is the fourth Hawkeye to accomplish the feat.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Claire Graves ties a single-game saves record in Iowa’s 0-0 tie with Nebraska.
UP NEXT
The Big Ten Tournament begins Oct. 29 with the top four teams in the conference standings hosting quarterfinal games. The top six spots in the tournament are locked in, while the final two spots are up for grabs Wednesday.
