EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 18 ranked University of Iowa soccer team defeated Northwestern, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. The Hawkeyes move to 9-0-3 on the season and 4-0-1 in Big Ten conference play.
The first 45 minutes were a defensive battle with the two teams combining for just three shots in the first half. Each goalie had one save in the first half.
Both the Hawkeyes and Wildcats had three corner kicks in the first half. The match was scoreless at the break.
In the 58th minute, Northwestern’s Josie Aulicino converted on a penalty kick to give Northwestern a 1-0 advantage. It didn’t take long for Iowa to respond as in the 66th minute senior Elle Otto tied the game up with a goal of her own. The goal was Otto’s first of the season and ninth of her career.
Graduate student Lauren Geczik gave Iowa the lead in the 87th minute on an Olympic goal. Geczik converted on a corner kick that did not touch any other players prior to the ball going into the net. The goal was Geczik’s first of the season.
The Hawkeyes outshot the Wildcats, 6-3, in the second half. Graduate student Macy Enneking had two saves for the Hawkeyes and now sits three wins back from tying the school’s record for most career victories.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI
“This team has won games a lot of different ways this year. Today, we were tired but found a way to stay in the game long enough to grind out a win on the road in a very difficult environment.”
“I’m so excited for Elle Otto who get her first goal of the season. She has created so much for herself and our team but has been very unlucky in front of the goal. I’m so proud of her and our team’s perseverance today.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
– Iowa had seven shots in the game, all seven were on goal.
– Macy Enneking is three victories away from tying former Hawkeye Claire Graves (2016-19) for most career victories.
– The Hawkeyes nine wins without a loss is the most to start the season without a loss since 2019 when Iowa started 9-0.
– The Hawkeyes 4-0-1 start is the best start to Big Ten conference play through five games in program history.
– 2 for the Money: Iowa’s record is 52-2-3 in its last 57 games when scoring two goals or more, which dates back to October of 2017. The Hawkeyes are 9-0 this year in multi-goal games.
– 90 Tracker: Eva Pattison and Millie Greer were the two Hawkeye position players to play 90 minutes on Sunday. 11 Hawkeyes registered minutes in the victory over the Wildcats.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action on October 6th, hosting Indiana at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The game is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed live on B1G+. The game versus the Hoosiers will serve as the Go Green for Mental Health game.
