Cary, Enneking Earn Big Ten Player of the Week Honors

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s soccer team captains Samantha Cary and Macy Enneking were named conference players of the week on Tuesday.

Cary was recognized as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, while Enneking earned her first Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors of her career.

The two defensive standouts led Iowa to a pair of clean sheets last week in dominating wins over Purdue, 4-0, and Rutgers, 1-0.

A fifth-year player and second-year captain, Cary anchors the Iowa defense with a team-high 1,039 minutes played this season.

Cary played 175 of 180 total minutes last week, including the full 90 minutes in the shutout against Rutgers. She also notched an assist against the Scarlet Knights, helping fellow captain Maggie Johnston to a goal in the 22nd minute that put Iowa ahead by two scores.

Cary previously earned back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards this season on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12.

Enneking is now up to eight credited shutouts, which ties for first nationally. Enneking’s 0.253 goals against average ranks third in the country while her .913 save percentage ranks fourth. She leads Big Ten goalkeepers in each of those statistical areas.

Enneking hauled in three saves to preserve the shutout against Rutgers. The Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors are a first for Enneking, who was named Honorable Mention Goalkeeper of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer on Sept. 5 this season.

This is Enneking’s first conference player of the week honor since being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 22, 2021.

Enneking’s 18 career shutouts rank third in program history. She is fifth in the Hawkeye record book with 21 career victories (.706 win percentage).

The Hawkeyes have recorded nine shutouts this season, the most for an Iowa team since the 2019 season. Iowa has allowed just three goals all year, ranking second nationally in goals against average (0.25). Iowa’s .750 shutout percentage ties for fourth nationally through 12 games.

Iowa travels to Nebraska on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes return to the Iowa Soccer Complex on Oct. 12 for a showdown with Northwestern at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.