THIS WEEK
University of Iowa women’s soccer travels to East Lancing, Michigan, on Thursday to take on Michigan State at DeMartin Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT). Iowa’s conference road trip continues on Sunday, as the Hawkeyes take on Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at 11 a.m. (CT).
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
- Both games 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 SPARTANS
- Michigan State enters the contest at 6-1-2 with a 1-0 record in Big Ten play. Their lone defeat came at the hands of No. 20 Arkansas, 0-1, on Sept. 4. The Spartans defeated then-19th ranked Colorado, 4-2, at home on Sept. 11 before picking up a, 3-0, win at Illinois last Sunday.
- Forward Camryn Evans leads the Big Ten in shots on goal (18); she also ties teammate Lauren DeBeau for third in the conference with six goals on the year.
- Michigan State leads the Big Ten in shots (176) and corners (65) this season. Their 2.4 scoring average ranks third in the conference, while their 2.0 scoring margin ranks second in the league behind No. 4 Rutgers.
SERIES HISTORY – MICHIGAN STATE
Iowa trails the series 9-12-5. The Hawkeyes dealt Michigan State an, 1-0, defeat in the Big Ten Tournament last season, knocking the Spartans off in East Lancing. Michigan State won the regular season meeting, 2-1.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
- Ohio State has posted a 5-2-1 record so far this season. The Buckeyes fell in their Big Ten Conference opener, 2-0, at No. 4 Rutgers. Their other loss came to BYU, 2-0, who was ranked ninth at the time, having since fallen out of the United Soccer Coaches ranking. Ohio State tied then-No. 18 Texas A&M, 0-0, on Sept. 4
- Ohio State was ranked fifth in the Big Ten Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
- Senior Emma Sears leads the way offensively for the Buckeyes with four goals and 10 points. Junior Peyton McNamara is close behind with four goals and nine offensive points of her own, while senior Kayla Fischer leads the team with 23 shots on the season.
SERIES HISTORY – OHIO STATE
The Hawkeyes are 7-16-1 against Ohio State, all time. Iowa won the previous meeting between the two schools, 2-1, in overtime back in 2019.
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
Iowa fell to Wisconsin at home, 3-1, to open the Big Ten slate. The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early lead thanks to a goal by sophomore Elle Otto in sixth minute of action off an assist from Hailey Rydberg. Iowa stayed on the attack during the first half, taking seven shots to just one by the Badgers. The second half was a different story, however, as Wisconsin pounced on a penalty kick opportunity in the opening minute of the period to even the score. Two more Badger goals came in rapid succession, and Wisconisn was able to retain a, 3-1, lead that was established in the opening five minutes of the second half.
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 and leads the team with three goals on the season.
- Six of Iowa’s nine goal scorers so far this season are newcomers; Otto has recorded two goals and two assists on the year to tie for second on the team in both statistical areas.
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
Seven Hawkeyes have played the entirety of at least one game this season, including Sara Wheaton (6), Hailey Rydberg (4), Brooklyn Woods (3), Samantha Cary (3), Josie Durr, Rielee Fetty, and Cassidy Formanek.
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 23 saves at an .767 percentage in 618 minutes played.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Nine different Hawkeyes have combined for 14 goals this season. Junior Kyndal Anderson leads the team with three goals and ties senior Hailey Rydberg with seven points on the season.
- Hawkeye goal scorers this season are Kyndal Anderson (3), Hailey Rydberg (2), Caroline Halonen (2), Elle Otto (2), Samantha Cary, Josie Durr, Morgan Lietz, Kellen Fife, and Camille Welker.
- Rydberg tallied a team-best seven assists last season. She currently tops the assist column for Iowa with three on the season.
- Rydberg’s 33 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
Iowa’s three-game conference road trip wraps up at Illinois on Sept. 29. The Hawkeyes return to Iowa City on Oct. 2 to host Michigan.
