Iowa Hosts Northwestern, Maryland

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Iowa stands at 8-2-3 overall this season and 2-2-2 in Big Ten Conference play. The Hawkeyes opened the year with a 6-0-1 non-conference record and enter the week at eighth in the conference standings. The top eight seeds qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Hawkeyes have pitched nine shutouts this season, the program’s most in a single season since 2018. Iowa’s .692 shutout percentage ties for fourth nationally and is tops among power conference teams. The Hawkeyes have allowed seven goals against this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten (0.54 goals against average).
• 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 lock down a Hawkeye defense that averaged just one goal allowed per game over the past two seasons while posting 13 clean sheets during that span. Durr’s three goals this season match the second-most for Iowa.
• 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.
• Along with Durr, standout juniors Kenzie Roling and Elle Otto lead the team offensively. Roling’s 11 points and five assists are each team-bests, while Otto’s four goals are the most for the Hawkeyes this season. In 2022, Otto finished with three goals, five assists and 11 points, which were all returning team-bests heading into this season.
• Senior Macy Enneking returns in goal. Enneking ranks fifth in program history for career wins (21) and third in career shutouts (18). She ties for the most shutouts in the Big Ten (8) and ranks second in goals against average (0.55) and save percentage (.851) among conference goalkeepers.
• Iowa welcomes 16 newcomers, including 13 freshmen and three transfers.
• Cary, Enneking and Ingles earned Big Ten Preseason Honors. Cary has earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards this season on Sept. 5, Sept. 12 and Oct. 3. Enneking was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 3.
• Cary, Enneking, and senior Maggie Johnston were voted team captains for the 2023 season.

LAST WEEK
Iowa fell to Nebraska, 4-2, at Hibner Stadium on Oct. 7.

• Iowa rallied from a 3-0 deficit to make the score 3-2 heading into halftime. Junior Elle Otto responded within 16 seconds to a Nebraska score in the 33rd minute, zipping a dart to the top-right corner to put the Hawkeyes on the board. With less than a minute before halftime, redshirt junior Zoë Bessert converted a penalty kick for a goal on her first collegiate shot.
• Ultimately, the Big Ten’s leading offense won out against an Iowa defense that had allowed just three goals through its first 12 games. Nebraska’s Elanor Dale scored two goals for the Cornhuskers; dale leads the nation with 19 goals this season.

B1G RECOGNITION
Two Hawkeyes have combined for four Big Ten Player of the Week awards this season.

• Fifth-year Samantha Cary has earned three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors this season, including back-to-back recognition on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12. Cary also won the award on Oct. 3.
• Goalkeeper Macy Enneking won Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 3, her first conference weekly recognition since being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 22, 2021.

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 total 305 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 following freshmen have seen the pitch for Iowa this season: Millie Greer (13 games played, 13 starts), Sofia Bush (13-8), Eva Pattison (10-5), Abby Skiff (10-2), Sophie Kincaid (7-0), Keira Smyser (3-0), Kearstyn Gladden (1-0) and Sonya Mehta (1-0).
• Iowa also welcomes three transfers in junior goalkeeper Taylor Kane, sophomore forward Shae Doherty and senior midfielder Kelli McGroarty.
• In 2022, McGroarty led La Salle in points (17), goals (6), assists (5), shots (42) and SOG (21).
• McGroarty has two goals and two assists in 2023. McGroarty’s 31 shots are a team high.
• Kane (Pomona-Pitzer) and Doherty (Belmont) combined for 21 starts and 35 games played at their previous stops. Doherty has four points this season for Iowa.

90 TRACKER
Eight Hawkeyes have played the entirety of at least one game, including fifth-year Samantha Cary (10), Freshman Millie Greer (10), senior Rielee Fetty (4), senior Maggie Johnston (4), freshman Sofia Bush, junior Kenzie Roling, sophomore Kellen Fife and freshman Eva Pattison.

SHARING THE WEALTH
Thirteen Hawkeyes have combined for 21 goals this season, including Elle Otto (4), Josie Durr (3), Kenzie Roling (3), Kelli McGroarty (2), Zoë Bessert, Samantha Cary, Shae Doherty, Sofia Bush, Rielee Fetty, Kellen Fife, Meike Ingles, Maggie Johnston and Sophie Kincaid.

• Roling, who is from Waverly, Iowa, leads the Hawkeyes with 11 points and five assists.
• McGroarty has a team-high 31 shots. Roling leads Iowa with 13 shots on goal shots.
• The Hawkeyes have outscored opponents 21-7 this season. Iowa has a 189-97 advantage in shots against its opponents and a 90-47 advantage in 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), Addie Bundy, Cary, Durr, Fife, Morgan Lietz and Camille Welker.
• Iowa is 40-1-3 in its last 44 games when scoring two goals or more, which dates back to October of 2017. The lone defeat during that span came last Saturday at Nebraska (4-2).

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Hawkeye defense has allowed seven goals this season, ranking second in the Big Ten in goals against average (0.54). Iowa’s nine clean sheets tie for fourth in the country in shutout percentage (.692).

• Senior Macy Enneking ranks fifth in the Hawkeye record book with 21 career victories (.686 win percentage). Enneking’s 18 career shutouts rank third in program history.
• Enneking ties for fifth nationally in shutouts (8) and ranks for second in the Big Ten for goals against average (0.55) and save percentage (.851).

LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa faces Michigan at 7 p.m. (CT) on Oct. 19 at U-M Soccer Stadium. The Hawkeyes close out the regular season against Michigan State on Oct. 22 at DeMartin Soccer Complex. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. (CT).