IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s soccer team tied No. 24 Penn State to wrap up the regular season on Sunday at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Iowa took seven of its eight shots in the game during the second half to aid the Hawkeye comeback.
Penn State took a, 1-0, advantage in the first half when fifth-year Ally Schlegel diced through the box to drill a goal to the bottom left corner of the net. The Nittany Lions held that lead into halftime.
The Hawkeyes came out firing in the final 45 minutes of the regular season and converted quickly when sophomore Elle Otto set up graduate student Caroline Halonen for the equalizer in the 52nd minute. The goal was Halonen’s fifth on the season, matching senior Hailey Rydberg for a team-high.
Rydberg, Otto, and Halonen were among the Hawkeyes who produced other good looks in the second half.
It was Penn State, however, who emerged with a penalty kick opportunity in the 84th minute and a strong chance to retake the lead. Iowa goalkeeper Macy Enneking came up with the critical save, and the Hawkeyes would hold on for its seventh tie of the year.
Enneking finished with five saves for the contest, her fourth consecutive game of five saves or more.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI
“I’m very proud of our team’s effort and performance today. Coming into the game we had a very slim chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but what was really important to us was that we left everything out on the field and emptied the tank for one another and our culture of the program. I think we did that. We were unlucky to not score a couple different goals throughout the game, especially in the second half, but it was probably a fair result.
As I told them after the game, not a day went by that I didn’t enjoy working with this group of women. They truly are a blessing and got better every single day. It’s unfortunate we’re not still playing because I believe we’re playing like one of the best teams in the conference. We’ve learned some good and valuable lessons for the off-season to grow as a program and as individuals. Thank you, seniors!”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Iowa’s seven draws this season are the most in program history; the NCAA eliminated overtime for regular season games this season. Only Bellarmine of the ASUN Conference currently has more ties on the season (1-7-8).
- 90 TRACKER: Sara Wheaton(14), Samantha Cary (11), and Cassidy Formanek (9) each played all 90 minutes of Sunday’s game. Seven Hawkeyes have played the entirety of at least one contest this season, including Hailey Rydberg (6), Josie Durr (4), Rielee Fetty (3), and Brooklyn Woods (3).
