THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s soccer team travels to Starkville, Mississippi, on Thursday to take on Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. The Hawkeyes return home on Sunday to host Senior Day vs. Southeast Missouri State at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
- Thursday’s match will stream on the SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game will stream on B1G+. Subscriptions are required for both platforms.
- 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 BULLDOGS
· Mississippi State started the season 3-0-1 with victories over Grand Canyon (2-1), Northwestern State (3-0) and FIU (2-0). The Bulldogs tied Arizona State in a scoreless match on Aug. 20.
· Last season, Mississippi State finished with a 12-6-2 record and earned the first SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament victories in program history.
· The Bulldogs return leading scorers Haley McWirther and Maggie Wadsworth, who scored 20 points apiece last season. Starting goalkeeper Maddy Anderson also returns.
SERIES HISTORY – MISSISSIPPI STATE
Iowa and Mississippi State tied, 1-1, in the only meeting between the two schools on Sept. 5, 2021.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
- SEMO fell to Missouri, 4-0, in the season opener on Aug. 17 before picking up a pair of wins vs. Grambling State (4-1) on Aug. 20 and at Southern Illinois (2-0) on Aug. 27. The Redhawks tied, 0-0, vs. Evansville on Aug. 24.
- Cayla Corner leads the way offensively with six points on two goals and two assists. Emily Baker has also scored a pair of goals for the Redhawks.
- Last season, SEMO finished 8-6-3 with a 4-2-2 Ohio Valley Conference record.
SERIES HISTORY – SEMO
Iowa leads the all-time series, 2-1-0. The Redhawks won the first meeting between the two programs, 2-1, on Sept. 18. 2005. The Hawkeyes have won two straight in the series, most recently downing SEMO, 2-0, on Sept. 12, 2021.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Head coach Dave DiIanni is in his 10th season at the helm of the Iowa women’s soccer program. Last fall, the Hawkeyes finished 5-6-7 overall with a 2-3-5 Big Ten record, a few points shy of conference postseason qualification. Iowa returns eight players with at least three years of collegiate playing experience, including seventh-year player Josie Durr and fifth-year Samantha Cary, who was a captain last fall. Cary helps lockdown a Hawkeye defense that averaged just one goal allowed per game over the past two seasons while posting 13 clean sheets during that span.
- Many of those veterans played for Iowa during its Cinderella-run in the 2020-21 postseason, which saw a two-win regular season result in the first Big Ten Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament win in school history. One such player is redshirt junior Meike Ingles, who scored all four of her goals that year in the postseason, including three game-winners during the Big Ten Tournament. Ingles netted a hat-trick in fall 2021 vs. Illinois (10/17) and scored Iowa’s first goal of the 2023 season at FGCU.
- Another offensive headliner is junior Elle Otto, whose three goals, five assists and 11 points last season are returning team-bests. Otto leads Iowa with two goals and five points this season.
- Senior Macy Enneking returns in goal. Enneking ranks fifth in program history for career wins (16) and sixth in career shutouts (11).
- Iowa welcomes 16 newcomers, including 13 freshmen and three transfers.
- Cary, Enneking and Ingles were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.
- Cary, Enneking, and senior Maggie Johnston were voted team captains for the 2023 season.
SENIOR DAY RECOGNITION
Five Hawkeyes will be recognized on Senior Day vs. SEMO on Sept. 3, including Zoë Bessert, Samantha Cary, Macy Enneking, Rielee Fetty and Meike Ingles.
LAST WEEK
The Hawkeyes opened the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series with a, 2-1, victory over Iowa State at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex on Aug. 24.
- Junior Kenzie Roling drilled a goal in the 34th minute to send Iowa into the halftime locker room with a lead. Sophomore Shae Doherty hit Roling in transition to set up the score against a two-on-one look from the Cyclone defense.
- Three minutes into the second half, junior Elle Otto broke things open with her second goal of the season. Coming off another transition look, Otto’s first shot was blocked by the sliding Cyclone goalkeeper; Otto was there for the proverbial rebound and putback score, sailing the ball through an open net to put the Hawkeyes up two scores.
- The Cyclones converted a goal of their own in the 81st minute of play, but it was too-little-too-late against an Iowa team that controlled possession throughout the game, putting up 17 shots to just nine shots by Iowa State.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Hawkeyes are led by a veteran core that spans the pitch.
- Along with midfielder Josie Durr (7th-Year) and defender Samantha Cary (5th-Year), the senior class includes Macy Enneking (GK), Rielee Fetty (M), Kelli McGroarty (F/M) and Maggie Johnston (F/M).
- Redshirt juniors Meike Ingles (F) and Zoë Bessert (F) are also entering their fourth seasons.
- Together, the group of eight players entering their fourth season now total 255 career starts for the Hawkeyes. Five more juniors round out the Iowa upper class.
FRESH FACES
The Hawkeyes welcome 16 newcomers, including 13 incoming freshmen and three transfers.
- The freshmen class features Ava Kenaan (F), Sophie Kincaid (F), Sofia Bush (M), Sammi Glover (D), Eva Pattison (D), Emma Hampton (D), Sonya Mehta (M), Erika Smiley (M/D), Keira Smyser (F/D), Millie Greer (M), Kearstyn Gladden (D), Abby Skiff (M) and Kassidy Lanthier (GK).
- Iowa also welcomes three transfers in sophomore forward Shae Doherty, sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Kane and senior midfielder Kelli McGroarty.
- In 2021, McGroarty led La Salle in goals (3), shots (46) and shots on goal (24). Her 13 shots are the most by a Hawkeye so far this season.
- Kane (Pomona-Pitzer) and Doherty (Belmont) each had successful rookie outings, combining for 21 starts and 35 games played as freshmen. Doherty registered an assist last time out vs. Iowa State on Aug. 24.
2 FOR THE MONEY
The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 39 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 36-0-3 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 2-0-0 record this season, 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).
SHARING THE WEALTH
Four different Hawkeyes have notched goals through three games, including Josie Durr, Elle Otto (2), Meike Ingles and Kenzie Roling. Five Iowa players have scored at least one point this season, as Shae Doherty joins that group with one assist.
- Roling leads Iowa with two assists this season.
- In 2022, eleven different Hawkeyes combined for 26 goals. Departing seniors Hailey Rydberg and Caroline Halonen led the way with five goals apiece, followed by Otto with three goals.
- Returning Hawkeye goal-scorers from last season are Otto (3), Durr, Samantha Cary, Morgan Lietz, Kellen Fife, Addie Bundy and Camille Welker.
DEPTH IN GOAL
Iowa again features depth at goalkeeper. Macy Enneking, a senior from Hilliard, Ohio, is already one of the winningest goalkeepers in Iowa history, moving up to fifth in the Hawkeye record book this season with 16 career victories.
- Enneking’s 11 career shutouts rank sixth in program history; with her next clean sheet, she would move into a tie for fourth in school history for shutouts with Britta Vogele (12, 2001-2004).
- Sophomore Aubrey Hahn also returns for the Hawkeyes. Ennenking and Hahn are joined by freshman Kassidy Lanthier and sophomore Taylor Kane, who made seven starts and posted a .920 save percentage last season at Pamona-Pitzer.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
The addition of a new operations building, completed in 2022, marked the beginning of a new era for the University of Iowa Soccer Complex. The space houses the Hawkeyes’ locker room and team rooms, athletic training room, coaches’ offices, press box and more. Last season also brought upgraded field lights, providing increased visibility and interactive fan capabilities. This season, the facility debuts a new video scoreboard to further advance the match day environment.
LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa travels to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sept. 7 to take on the Cavaliers at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes face George Mason at 11 a.m. on Sept. 10 at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia.
