FAIRFAX, Va. – University of Iowa women’s soccer downed George Mason, 3-0, on Sunday in the non-conference finale. With the road shutout, Iowa improves to 6-0-1 overall heading into Big Ten Conference play.
The Hawkeyes were on the attack all afternoon, finishing with 25 shots to match a season-high total set against FGCU on Aug. 17 to start the year.
Iowa sent four shots in the first ten minutes of play. The last of those resulted in an Elle Otto score in the box, assisted by sophomore Morgan Lietz and junior Kenzie Roling. Otto’s three goals this season are an Iowa-best. Roling’s four assists also lead the team through seven contests.
The second goal came in the 37th minute when junior Delaney Holtey sent a long cross sweeping through the Patriot transition defense. It found senior captain Maggie Johnston in the box, who gave it one more nudge to set up senior Kelli McGroarty for her first goal of the season.
Also finding the net for the first time this season was fifth-year defender Samantha Cary, who drilled a header the 78th minute to slam the door closed. Freshman Keira Smyser earned the assisted on a high-arcing, cross-field pass that went up and over the George Mason defenders in the box.
Goalkeeper Macy Enneking nabbed one save en route to Iowa’s sixth clean sheet this season. The Hawkeye defense allowed George Mason only one shot.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI
“Today was a good ending to a long trip. Closing the book on our non-conference schedule, having played a lot of players today, getting young players experience, maintaining another shutout and scoring the goals needed to win.
We know it wasn’t the prettiest game by us offensively. Composure, intent and execution have to be better moving forward in the box, but finishing undefeated in the non-conference is a good springboard to Big Ten play.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- With 15 career clean sheets, Macy Enneking now ties Emily Moran ’11 at third in program history for career shutouts.
- The Hawkeyes have held opponents to two shots or fewer in 10 of 14 halves played this season. Iowa’s defense has allowed just one goal in 2023.
- Iowa outshot George Mason 25-1. Iowa holds a sizeable advantage in shots taken (113-39) and shots on goal (50-17) against its opponents this season.
- Sunday was the first meeting between Iowa and George Mason in women’s soccer.
- 2 for the Money: The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 42 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 39-0-3 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 4-0-0 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).
- 90 Tracker: No Hawkeye position player logged 90 minutes against George Mason. Twenty-one Iowa players subbed in on Sunday. Cary (5), Freshman Millie Greer (4), Johnston (2) and senior Rielee Fetty (2) have each played the entirety of at least one game for the Hawkeyes this season.
UP NEXT
Iowa opens the Big Ten Conference slate at home on Sept. 17 vs. Illinois. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex.
Photos: Art Pittman/George Mason University