Iowa Takes On No. 18 Virginia, George Mason

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s soccer team makes a two-game road stand in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Iowa takes on No. 18 Virginia on Thursday at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. 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.

WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

• Thursday’s match will stream on ACCNX, while Sunday’s game will stream on ESPN+. 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 CAVALIERS

• Off to a 5-0-1 start, Virginia is ranked No. 18 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.
• The Cavaliers have notched four victories by three goals or more. Virginia downed West Virginia, 2-1, last week and tied Michigan, 0-0, on Aug. 24.
• Virginia has posted a 133-27 advantage in shots taken over its opponents through six games this season; that mirrors an 83-25 advantage in shots taken for the Hawkeyes through five games played.
• The Cavaliers (2) and Hawkeyes (1) have allowed just three combined goals this season.
• Maggie Cagle leads Virginia with 13 points on five goals and three assists; Meredith McDermott, who was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, has also notched five goals for the Cavaliers through six starts.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS

• George Mason is winless to start year three under head coach Manya Puppione.
• The Patriots have yet to score a goal this season; opponents have scored 21 goals against the George Mason defense through six outings (3.32 GAA).
• Four shots are a team-high from Sophie Davidson and Rachel Eberly heading into the week; Eberly leads the team with three shots on goal.
• George Mason goalkeepers have combined for a .661 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Iowa has never faced Virginia or George Mason in women’s soccer.

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’s two goals this season match a team-high.
• Senior Macy Enneking returns in goal. Enneking ranks fifth in program history for career wins (18) and fourth in career shutouts (13).
• 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.

LAST WEEK
Iowa improved to 5-0 for the season last week with shutout victories over Mississippi State and Southeast Missouri State. Iowa is off to its best start since winning nine games to open the 2019 season.

• The Hawkeyes won, 1-0, at Mississippi State on Aug. 31, lifted by a goal in the eighth minute of play by sophomore Shae Doherty. The Iowa lead held firm, thanks in part to a season-high five saves by goalkeeper Macy Enneking. The victory gives Iowa a 1-0-1 advantage in the all-time series vs. Mississippi State, which kicked off with a tie on Sept. 5, 2021, in Iowa City.
• Iowa defeated SEMO, 4-0, on Senior Day at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The Hawkeye defense showed out, allowing zero shots by the Redhawks through all 90 minutes of game action. Iowa has now posted four clean sheets through five contests.
• Freshmen Sofia Bush and Sophie Kincaid each notched their first career goals, along with scores from seventh-year player Josie Durr (PK) and junior Kenzie Roling.
• The, 2-0, Iowa victory over SEMO on Sept. 12, 2021, was the last time that the Hawkeyes held an opponent without a shot on goal.

AWARDS AND HONORS
Two Hawkeyes earned weekly awards on Tuesday.

• Fifth-Year Samantha Cary was named B1G Defensive Player of the Week for guiding the Hawkeyes to a pair of clean sheets last week vs. Mississippi State (1-0) and SEMO (4-0). Iowa allowed zero shots by the Redhawks on Sunday and have allowed just one goal this season. A second-year team captain, Cary has played a team-high 432 minutes at the defender position.
• Senior Macy Enneking was also recognized for her efforts on defense, earning Honorable Mention Goalkeeper of the Week accolades from Top Drawer Soccer. Enneking has allowed just one goal this season en route to four Hawkeye clean sheets through five games.

HAWKEYE POLL
Iowa moves up to fifth in the United Soccer Coaches North Region poll. The Hawkeyes check in ahead of Big Ten rivals No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Indiana and No. 10 Minnesota. Iowa’s 1.000 (5-0-0) win percentage is the best among North Region ranked teams. Penn State remains atop the North Region ranking. Iowa received one vote in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 national rankings.

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 266 career starts for the Hawkeyes. Six 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 junior goalkeeper Taylor Kane, sophomore forward Shae Doherty, and senior midfielder Kelli McGroarty.
• In 2021, McGroarty led La Salle in goals (3), shots (46) and shots on goal (24). Her 14 shots are the most by a Hawkeye so far this season.
• Kane (Pomona-Pitzer) and Doherty (Belmont) each had success at their last stops, combining for 21 starts and 35 games played. Doherty has three points this season for Iowa.

2 FOR THE MONEY
The Hawkeyes are undefeated in their last 41 games when scoring two goals or more. Since the start of the 2018 season, Iowa has a record of 38-0-3 when scoring two goals or more. That includes a 3-0-0 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
Seven Hawkeyes have combined for 10 goals to start the season, including Kenzie Roling (2), Josie Durr (2), Elle Otto (2), Shae Doherty, Sofia Bush, Meike Ingles and Sophie Kincaid.

• Roling leads Iowa with seven points and three assists this season.
• McGroarty has taken a team-high 14 shots, while Durr leads the way with eight shots on goal.
• 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.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Hawkeye defense has allowed just one goal and 14 shots on goal through five games this season.

• Iowa again features depth at goalkeeper. Macy Enneking, a senior from Hilliard, Ohio, is one of the winningest goalkeepers in program history at fifth in the Hawkeye record book with 18 career victories. Enneking’s 13 career shutouts rank fourth in Iowa history.
• In 2023, Enneking ranks second among Big Ten goalkeepers for save percentage (.929) and goals against average (.206); Enneking has allowed just one goal this season while nabbing 13 saves.

LOOKING AHEAD
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.