THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s soccer team opens Big Ten play against Wisconsin on Sept. 16 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Admission to Friday’s game is free.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
- Friday’s game will be streamed live on BTN+.
- Links to streaming and live stats can be found at hawkeyesports.com/soccergameday.
- Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
- Wisconsin enters Big Ten competition with a 5-1-2 record. The Badgers tied at No. 17 TCU to open the season and earned a, 2-0, victory over a Baylor team that Iowa tied, 1-1, on Sept. 4. Their lone loss on the season came at the hands of No. 6 Notre Dame, 1-4, on Sept. 1.
- The Badgers received one vote in the most recent United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll.
- Senior Emma Jaskaniec leads Wisconsin with six goals and 13 points on the season. She has two game-winning goals on the season, matching Iowa’s Kyndal Anderson for the second most in the Big Ten in 2022. Adee Boer and Maddie Ishaug are next for the Badgers with two goals and five points, apiece.
- Head Coach Paula Wilkins ranks third in Big Ten history for career coaching wins (287) and second in Big Ten history with eight regular season conference titles. Wilkins’ teams have won three Big Ten Tournaments.
- Wisconsin finished eighth in the Big Ten last season; the Badgers were picked to place fourth in the Big Ten this season by conference coaches.
SERIES HISTORY – WISCONSIN
Iowa is 6-15-5 against the Badgers. The teams tied, 1-1, last season in Madison. The Hawkeyes split with Wisconsin in the 2020 season, as the Badgers took the regular season meeting, 0-1, before Iowa pulled off a, 1-0, upset victory in the Big Ten Tournament.
PITCH BLACKOUT
Hawkeye fans are encouraged to participate in the “Blackout” theme for Iowa’s Big Ten opener versus Wisconsin by wearing black!
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 three goals 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, Cary, and Wheaton were voted team captains for the 2022 season. Both Rydberg and Wheaton were captains in 2021.
LAST WEEK
The Hawkeyes split a pair of in-state rivarly games last week.
- Iowa fell, 2-1, at Iowa State on Sept. 8. Though the Hawkeyes produced a season high 25 shots and 13 shots on goal, they were unable to land a goal until senior Hailey Rydberg drilled a penalty kick in the 85th minute of action. The Cyclones capitalized on a pair of early scores from veteran Jada Colbert, who converted twice in the first 24 minutes.
- On Sept. 11, Iowa cruised to a, 6-0, victory at UNI. The Hawkeye defense posted its fourth shutout of the season as Iowa poured on six goals in the first half to secure the dominating victory. Graduate student Caroline Halonen scored two goals in the first 24 minutes, as sophomore Elle Otto, senior Samantha Cary, senior Hailey Rydberg, and freshman Morgan Lietz all found the net before halftime. Rydberg and junior Kyndal Anderson each registered assists on the contest.
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.
- Six of Iowa’s nine goal scorers so far this season are newcomers; Otto is one of Iowa’s assist leaders with two on the season.
2 FOR THE MONEY
The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 33 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 32-0-1 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 2-0 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).
90 TRACKER
Six Hawkeyes have played the entirety of at least one game this season, including Sara Wheaton (5), Brooklyn Woods (3), Hailey Rydberg (3), Samantha Cary (3), Josie Durr, and Rielee Fetty.
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 21 saves at an .840 percentage in 528 minutes played.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Nine different Hawkeyes have combined for 13 goals this season. Junior Kyndal Anderson leads the way offensively with three goals and seven points through eight games.
- Hawkeye goal scorers this season are Kyndal Anderson (3), Hailey Rydberg (2), Caroline Halonen (2), Elle Otto, Samantha Cary, Josie Durr, Morgan Lietz, Kellen Fife, and Camille Welker.
- Rydberg is close behind with two goals and two assists for six points on the year. Rydberg tallied a team-best seven assists last season. She currently ties senior Sara Wheaton and sophomore Elle Otto at the top of the assist column for Iowa in 2022.
- Rydberg’s 30 shots and 14 shots on goal rank second and third in the conference, respectively, heading into Big Ten play. Anderson’s two game-winning goals match the second most in the Big Ten Conference this season.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes travel to East Lancing, Michigan, to take on Michigan State on Sept. 22 at DeMartin Soccer Complex. Iowa’s three-game conference road trip will continue at Ohio State on Sept. 25 and wrap up at Illinois on Sept. 29.
