NOTEBOOK: Hawkeyes Set to Host Pacific, Travel to Baylor

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Head coach Dave DiIanni is in his ninth season at the helm of the soccer program. Last fall, DiIanni’s team posted a 12-6-2 record, tying for fourth in the Big Ten for Iowa’s highest regular season conference finish since 1999. The Hawkeyes return six starters and a host of other key contributors from the 2021 team. That includes a group of six fifth-year players from a class of seven seniors all with starting experience.
• The Hawkeyes qualified for the Big Ten Tournament in 2021, advancing to the semifinals as the tournament five seed before falling to Rutgers. Iowa has qualified for three of the last four Big Ten Conference Tournaments, not counting the unorthodox 2020 event which saw all teams compete and which the Hawkeyes went on to win for the first time in school history.
• In 2019 and 2020, Iowa made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. The 2020 group earned Iowa’s first victory in the NCAA Tournament.
• Iowa returns 51.6 percent of its goal scoring production from last season. The Hawkeyes lose leading scorer Alyssa Walker, but return a majority of the 11 goal scorers from last season. Assist leader Hailey Ryberg is back this season after dishing seven assists across seven different wins in 2021. Newcomer Kyndal Anderson leads Iowa with two goals and four assists so far this season.
• Three Hawkeyes — Hailey Rydberg, Kenzie Roling, and Samantha Cary — were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. Iowa was picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams in the preseason coaches’ poll.
• Three players that earned Big Ten Conference postseason honors last season return in 2022. Sara Wheaton was named to the All-Big Ten second team, while Hailey Rydberg picked up third-team honors. Addie Bundy was a unanimous selection on the All-Freshman team.
• Rydberg and Sara Wheaton were also named to the 2021 United Soccer Coaches North Region third team a season ago.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
The Hawkeyes are doing their part to promote awareness for issues relating to mental health. Green bandanas will be distributed at Thursday’s game against Pacific in support of the Green Bandana Project, a student-led program designed to spread awareness of resources for those struggling with mental illness and foster a culture of care at the University of Iowa. Learn more about the Green Bandana Project here.

LAST WEEK

• Iowa fell to Kansas, 1-0, on Aug. 25 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The Hawkeyes posted 13 shots, nine of which came in the second half, as senior Hailey Rydberg led the way with five shots, including three on goal. Still, the Jayhawks’ Shira Elinav struck the game-winner in the 52nd minute to secure the Kansas victory. Goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm recorded five saves on 15 total KU shots.
• The Hawkeyes bounced back with a, 4-0, shutout victory over DePaul on Sunday. Four different Iowa players scored and 21 Hawkeyes saw playing time in the dominant performance. Junior Kyndal Anderson broke things open with a goal in the eighth minute and senior Josie Durr and freshman Camille Anderson would pile on two more scores before halftime. Sophomore Elle Otto tallied two assists in the first 45 minutes, and freshman Kellen Fife finished things off with her first career goal in the 58th minute of play. Wilhelm picked up four saves as Iowa out-shot the Blue Demons, 20-4, in the match.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
A class of seven senior leaders all with starting experience help anchor the Hawkeyes this season.

• Midfielder Hailey Rydberg was a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season, starting all 20 games and posting two goals with seven assists across seven wins last season.
• Defender Sara Wheaton earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was Iowa’s Defensive Player of the Year on a defense that gave up just 20 goals and posted six clean sheets on the year.
• Other notable veterans include goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm (87 saves, nine wins), defender Samantha Cary (19 starts, two goals), Natalie Massa (20 games played, 4 starts), and fifth-year players Josie Durr and Jenny Cape who return to the pitch after being sidelined in 2021. Durr scored her first goal of the season in Sunday’s, 4-0, victory over DePaul.

MEET THE NEWCOMERS
The Hawkeyes welcome 14 newcomers in 2022, including eight incoming freshmen and six transfers.

• The freshman class features Kellen Fife, Aubrey Hahn, Emma Kozicki, Morgan Leitz, Halle Skibo, Makenna Vonderhaar, Camille Welker, and Broolyn Woods.
• Iowa also welcomes graduate students Cassidy Formanek (Houston), Molly Gervase (Denver), Caroline Halonen (Northern Michigan), and Anastasia Savich (Butler), as well as transfer students Kyndal Anderson (Furman) and Elle Otto (Mississippi State). Anderson scored the game-winners against Cal Poly and DePaul.
• Three of Iowa’s four goal scorers so far this season are newcomers; Anderson has recorded two game-clinching goals, while Welker and Fife each converted in the win against DePaul on Aug. 28.

2 FOR THE MONEY
The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 32 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 31-0-1 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 1-0 record in 2022, 9-0 in 2021, 2-0 in 2020, 13-0-1 in 2019 and 5-0 in 2018. The Hawkeyes won their final two games in 2017 when scoring two-plus goals. The last time Iowa lost a game while netting at least two goals was Oct. 1, 2017, at Michigan State (L, 3-2).

TEAM CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Seniors Hailey Rydberg, Samantha Cary, and Sara Wheaton were voted team captains for the 2022 season. Both Rydberg and Wheaton were captains in 2021.

DEPTH AT GOALKEEPER
Iowa features depth at goalkeeper with redshirt senior Monica Wilhelm and junior Macy Enneking holding down the net.  The Iowa defense posted seven shutouts and held 18 opponents to two scores or fewer through 20 games last season with both players in goal throughout the year.

• Redshirt junior Monica Wilhelm notched 58 saves while allowing just 17 goals through 16 starts. Wilhelm tallied a career-best 11 saves against Rutgers last season.
• Sophomore Macy Enneking saw action in five games down the stretch in 2021, including four starts. She tallied 27 saves and allowed three goals in that span.
• In 2020, Enneking was the only unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection and earned Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player accolades for allowing just one goal in four games at the conference tournament. She tallied 52 saves across 11 games and averaged a conference-best .912 save percentage, allowing just five goals in 956 minutes played.
• This season, Enneking has posted six saves at an .857 percentage through 176 minutes, while Wilhelm has recorded nine saves at a .900 percentage in 183 minutes played.

SHARING THE WEALTH
Eleven different Hawkeyes combined for 31 goals in 2021. Alyssa Walker (‘21) led the way offensively with nine goals and 20 points, finishing third in the Big Ten in goals scored.

• As for Iowa’s returning players, forward Kenzie Roling put up six goals for 12 points to finish second on the team in both statistical categories. Samantha Cary and Hailey Rydberg each sank a pair of goals, while defenders Sara Wheaton, Natalie Massa, and Maggie Johnston each scored one goal apiece.
• Rydberg tallied a team-best seven assists, while freshman Addie Bundy was close behind with six assists. Iowa outshot opponents, 290-243, and won the shots on goal battle,139-110, last season.
• In 2022, four Hawkeyes have combined for five goals. They are Kyndal Anderson (2), Josie Durr (1), Kellen Fife (1), and Camille Welker (1). Sophomore Elle Otto leads Iowa with two assists this season.

LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa travels to a pair of in-state foes next week. First, the Hawkeyes face Iowa State on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa, to open the 2022-23 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The Hawkeyes then travel to Northern Iowa on Sept. 11. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT).