Fight For Iowa | Hawk Talk Monthly — October | Week 12 Notes (PDF)
THE MATCH-UP
The eighth-seeded University of Iowa soccer team returns to action Sunday, facing No. 1 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. The game will begin at 3 p.m. (CT) from Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
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
• Ohio State leads the all-time series, 6-14-1. The Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes, 2-0, earlier this season on Sept. 24, scoring two second-half goals.
• Sunday’s contest will mark the first time in program history the two teams will meet in the postseason.
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Iowa is making its 10th Big Ten Tournament appearance and its first since 2014. The Hawkeyes are 4-8-0 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament with all four victories coming during its 2013 and 2014 seasons.
• During the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, the Hawkeyes defeated Rutgers (1-0) and Northwestern (1-0) before falling, 1-0, to Wisconsin in the championship match.
• The Hawkeyes advanced to their first Big Ten Tournament title game in 2013 as the No. 8 seed, downing Michigan and Penn State in quarter and semifinal action before falling to Nebraska in the title game.
• Iowa is the No. 8 seed for the fourth time in program history. The Hawkeyes have been the No. 3, No. 5, and No. 7 seeds once and the No. 6 seed three times.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE
• Four players on the 2017 roster have a combined 12 games of postseason experience. Senior Corey Burns has played in five postseason contests, including the 2013 NCAA Tournament against Notre Dame.
WINTERS EARNS B1G HONORS
Sophomore Natalie Winters was named third-team All-Big Ten on Friday. The midfielder scored two goals and had five assists during the 2017 season. She is the first Hawkeye sophomore since 2003 to earn All-Big Ten recognition.
KEEPER OF CROSSES
• Sophomore goalkeeper Claire Graves tied a personal best with nine saves in Iowa’s draw against Nebraska on Oct. 18.
• Graves posted her seventh shutout in Iowa’s 1-0 victory at Illinois in the regular season finale. The seven shutouts are tied for third in single-season shutouts.
• The Indiana native 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 9-7-2 with 68 saves and seven 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 22 of Iowa’s 30 goals this season. They also combine for 14 Hawkeye assists in 2017.
• Burns scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season in Iowa’s regular season finale against Illinois when the Hawkeyes claimed a 1-0 victory. The nine goals are the most by a Hawkeye since 2014 when Cloe Lacasse scored 10 times.
• Burns has four game-winning goals this season, and her nine goals and 23 points are tied for the 10th most in a single season in school history.
• Goalkeeper Claire Graves has competed in 1610 minutes of action, collecting 68 saves and seven shutouts.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• Ohio State (14-3-1, 9-2-0) finished the regular season with victories against Minnesota (2-1) and Indiana (2-1). The Buckeyes clinched the program’s first outright Big Ten Title with the win over the Hoosiers.
• The Buckeyes have outscored opponents, 34-9, this season and are averaging 1.89 goals per game.
• Ohio State is ranked 13th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and the team has an RPI of 16th nationally.
• The Buckeyes had eight players earn All-Big Ten honors in 2017, including Nikki Watts and Morgan Wolcott, who were the league’s Midfielder and Defender of the Year.
• Senior forward Sammy Edwards was a first-team All-Big Ten selection after finishing with a team-leading 10 goals, five assists, and 25 points this season. She is tied for second in the Big Ten in game-winning goals (5).
• Second-team All-Big Ten goalkeeper Devon Kerr has posted nine shutouts and collected 47 saves over 1,565 minutes of action this season.
IRON HAWK
• Junior Morgan Kemerling has played 90 or more minutes in 16 games this season. The defender’s 1,576 minutes are the most by a Hawkeye field player this season.
QUICK HITTERS
• Iowa has outscored opponents, 30-21, this season. The team is averaging 12.8 shots per game and has collected 30 goals and 30 assists for 90 points. The team’s 30 assists are the most since 2012 and the 30 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 seventh shutout of the season — and 11th of her career — in Iowa’s 1-0 win over Illinois.
• 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 finished the regular season fourth in the Big Ten in points (88), assists (30), and assists per game (1.67). Iowa is tied for fourth in goals (30) and tied for fifth in goals per game (1.61).
• Sophomore Devin Burns is tied for third in the league in goals (9), goals per game (.500), and game-winning goals (4).
• Sophomore goalkeeper Claire Graves is fourth in conference in shutouts per game (.390) and tied for third shutouts (7).
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
With a victory, Iowa would face the winner of the Rutgers-Penn State contest in the semifinals on Nov. 3. The semifinal and championship matches will be held at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
