EVANSTON, Ill. – The University of Iowa women’s soccer team defeated No. 13 Northwestern, 2-1, on Thursday night. It was the fifth win against a top-15 ranked team in program history. The victory gives the Hawkeyes three crucial points in the Big Ten standings. Iowa entered the game one spot back from qualifying for the conference tournament next week.
Iowa applied pressure early, taking eight of 13 total shots for the contest during the first half. The aggression paid off in the 28th minute when a free kick opportunity led to chaos in the box, resulting in a Wildcat own goal.
The Hawkeyes weren’t finished; five minutes later, sophomore Addie Bundy squared up from long distance and launched a missile to the top left corner of the net. Bundy’s ball was perfectly placed to thwart the diving Northwestern goalkeeper, sailing through the corner to give Iowa a two-score lead heading into halftime.
The Wildcats landed on their feet in the second half, as Northwestern junior Ella Hase converted in the 48th minute of action. Still, the Iowa defense held firm, in part thanks to goalkeeper Macy Enneking fielding eight saves for the contest, a personal best through six games played this season.
Iowa picks up its second win of the Big Ten season and second-consecutive victory over Northwestern.
The ranked road win is Iowa’s first since upsetting No. 4 Penn State, 1-0, in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals in the spring of 2021. It matches the second-highest ranked road victory in school history, dating back to a 3-1, win at No. 13 Dartmouth in 2002.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI
“I’m proud of this group. To come away with a road win of any kind in this conference is a big accomplishment, but to do it versus a team who is playing arguably as well as anyone in the country is another. We’ve had a very good mindset the last few months of just investing all the energy we have to get better each day, and if we do that results will occur. There’s more work to do.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Bundy notched the first goal of her collegiate career with the game-winner.
- The Hawkeyes have benefited from an own goal in each of the last three contests, including a come-from-behind draw against Purdue on Oct. 13 and a, 4-0, shutout victory against Nebraska on Oct. 16.
- 2 FOR THE MONEY: The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 37 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 34-0-3 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 4-0-2 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: Sara Wheaton(14), Samantha Cary (11), Cassidy Formanek (9), and Rielee Fetty (4) each played all 90 minutes of Thursday’s game. Seven Hawkeyes have played the entirety of at least one contest this season, including Hailey Rydberg (6), Josie Durr (4), and Brooklyn Woods (3).
NEXT UP
The Hawkeyes host the final game of the regular season at 1 p.m. on Sunday versus No. 24 Penn State at the Iowa Soccer Complex.