THIS WEEK
University of Iowa women’s soccer travels to Missoula, Montana, for the Rumble in the Rockies. The Hawkeyes take on Oregon State at 4 p.m. (CT) on Thursday before facing Colorado College at Noon (CT) on Sunday in the season-opening event.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
- Both matches stream live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
- Links to streaming and live stats can be found at the gameday page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter/X (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
- Interim Head Coach Caroline Kelly was elevated in July after seven seasons as an assistant at the Division I level. Kelly previously headed recruiting and defense for Oregon State, guiding the team to seven shutouts in 2023, a high watermark for the past decade of Beaver women’s soccer.
- Oregon State finished 4-8-7 last season with a 1-6-4 conference record. Leading scorer McKenna Martinez brings back 15 points from the 2023 campaign, including six goals. Six of the team’s top seven point-scorers return on offense.
- The Beavers averaged 1.79 goals against last season, compared to a program-record 0.76 goals against average posted by the Hawkeye defense a year ago.
- The Beavers will compete in the West Coast Conference for the first time this season.
SERIES HISTORY – OREGON STATE
Iowa and Oregon State meet for the first time in program history.
SCOUTING THE PREDATORS
- Colorado College posted a 3-13-2 record last season, scoring 15 goals on the year and allowing 2.72 goals against.
- Midfielder Kaelin Enga joined utility players Alexis Wessler and Makenna Kolson as Mountain West Preseason Players to Watch. Enga and Wessler join defender Ava Risser and midfielder Alex Sandoval as the squad’s leading returners on offense, where they each tallied three points apiece, last fall.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Regan Wallace started in all 18 games last season. The Predators return all three keepers who saw the field in 2023.
- The Predators were voted 12th in the 2024 Mountain West Preseason Poll.
- Colorado College advanced to the national semifinals or championship match five times in seven years during the1980s and is considered a pioneering program in collegiate women’s athletics.
SERIES HISTORY – COLORADO COLLEGE
Iowa is 0-2-0 against the Predators, historically. The last meeting between the two schools was in 2005.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Head Coach Dave DiIanni enters his 11th year at the helm of the Iowa women’s soccer program. Last season was another for the history books, as Iowa won the program’s second Big Ten Tournament Championship. Iowa qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third time since 2019 and fourth time in school history.
- Iowa is ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll to start the year. The preseason ranking is a first in program history. The Hawkeyes also earned their first postseason ranking last fall, checking in at No. 24 to finish the year. Iowa peaked at No. 14 in the national polls, another all-time best.
- The Hawkeyes return three of four starting defenders from a team that posted program records for shutouts (13) and goal against average (0.76). Graduate-student Maggie Johnston, sophomore Eva Pattison and sophomore Millie Greer return alongside veteran goalkeeper Macy Enneking.
- Greer (#39) and midfielder Sofia Bush (#87) were ranked top-100 freshmen at the end of the season by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Offensively, Iowa returns five of six leading point scorers, including leading-scorer Kelli McGroarty. The graduate student brings back a team-best 18 points and seven goals from 2023.
- The roster features 10 newcomers, including six freshmen and four transfers.
- Bush, Enneking and Greer were named Big Ten Players to Watch. The Hawkeyes were ranked eighth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. Enneking is a United Soccer Coaches national preseason honoree.
- Enneking, Johnston and graduate-student Rielee Fetty were voted team captains.
RUMBLE IN THE ROCKIES
The preseason event is hosted by the Montana Grizzlies. To win the event, teams must sweep their two matches, with a scoring differential to be used as a tiebreaker.
Roll the tape 📼#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/tROey3tPcx
— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) August 7, 2024
FRESH FACES
Iowa welcomes six freshmen and four new transfer additions.
- Three freshmen hail from the state of Michigan, including Charlotte Bien (M), Keira Biils (M) and Caleigh Collard (F/M). Forward Abby Warner is a native of Pella, Iowa, while Berit Parten is from St. Paul, Minnesota, and Berkely Binggeli (F/M) hails from Heber City, Utah.
- Parten posted a hat-trick in the preseason exhibition against South Dakota last week.
- Graduate-student Maya Hansen (F) joins the Hawkeyes from South Dakota State, where she holds program records with 44 goals, 107 points and 18 game-winning goals. The Savage, Minnesota, native is a three-time All-Summit League First Team selection and a two-time all-region honoree.
- Graduate-student Lauren Geczik (F/D) joins the program from Texas A&M, where she made 29 starts through 39 games. Geczik scored 13 points on four goals and five assists with the Aggies.
- Graduate-student Madison Wilson (M) led Dayton with 16 points last season, where she started for four seasons.
- Junior Alexia Griffin (D) started in every game at Southern Miss over the past two seasons. Griffin tacked on one goal a year ago while leading the Golden Eagle defense.
RETURNING FIREPOWER
Five of Iowa’s top-six point scorers return from last season. Of that group, all but one are seniors or fifth-year players.
- Returning Totals/2023 Totals: 80/105 Points, 26/36 goals, 28/33 assists
- McGroarty led the Hawkeyes with 18 points and seven goals last season. Senior Kenzie Roling led the team with five assists and totaled 11 points for the year.
- Senior Elle Otto scored 13 points on five goals and three assists in 2023.
- Fourth and fifth-year players combine for 19 of Iowa’s 26 returning goals and 55 of 80 total points returning on offense. Iowa is 43-2-3 in its last 48 games when scoring two goals or more, which dates back to October of 2017. The Hawkeyes scored multiple goals in 10 matches last season.
- Bush secured eight points on three goals and two assists as a true freshman in the midfield.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Iowa allowed just 17 goals in 2023, setting new program bests for goals against average (0.76) and shutouts (13). Both records had stood since the first season under Head Coach Dave DiIanni in 2014.
- Three starters return from that top statistical defense in program history, including sophomores Greer and Pattison with captain Maggie Johnston. Senior Miah Schueller also has starting experience at defender.
- Iowa outscored opponents 36-17, dominating opponents in shots (307-164) and SOG (149-75).
A KEEPER!
Goalkeeper Macy Enneking set a program individual record for goalkeeper shutouts last season (12.5), tying for fifth nationally.
- The Hilliard, Ohio, native has started all five years at Iowa, anchoring the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances and conference tournament championships.
- Enneking is the first Hawkeye named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List.
BIGGER BIG TEN
The Big Ten Conference welcomes UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington to the conference this season. The Bruins are ranked 11th nationally while the Trojans check in at No. 23.
- The Bruins were national champions in 2022 and 2013; the Trojans were national champions in 2016 and 2007. Along with Washington, the three programs combine for 62 NCAA Tournament appearances; Oregon has never qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
- Iowa hosts Washington on Oct. 17 and Oregon on Oct. 20.
SINCE 2019, IOWA…
- Won both Big Ten Tournament Championships in program history (2021, 2023)
- Won each of two NCAA Tournament victories in program history
- Made three of four NCAA Tournament appearances in program history
- Has earned 10 postseason wins
- Has posted 42 shutouts
- Defeated seven ranked opponents, six top-15 opponents and two top-five opponents
- Saw Coach DiIanni surpass 300 career wins and become the winningest coach in program history
- Set a new home attendance record (2,629); the overtime win over Bucknell was the first NCAA Tournament game hosted at the Iowa Soccer Complex
NEW HAWKEYE HEIGHTS
Iowa women’s soccer alumni are reaching new heights.
- Samantha Cary (‘23) became the first Iowa women’s soccer product selected in the NWSL Draft. Iowa’s all-time minutes leader was picked 48th overall by Racing Louisville. Cary later signed with IFK Norrköping, which plays in Sweden’s top-tier league.
- Cloé Lacasse (‘14) became the first Hawkeye to compete at the Olympic Games this summer. Lacasse made started and scored a goal competing for Canada Soccer in Paris. Lacasse is tied for first in Iowa program history for career points (112) and sits atop the Hawkeye record book in career shots (306).
- Lacasse plays professionally for Arsenal W.F.C in London, where she tallied three goals through eight starts and 13 substitutions last season. Lacasse was player of the year for 2023 at her previous stop in the top Portuguese league for S.L. Benifica.
UP NEXT
Iowa travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Aug. 22 to take on Western Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes face Texas on Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. on the road.