After a chaotic first half that saw Iowa and Michigan trade goals, Hawkeyes were shut down in the second period of play and fell, 4-2, to the Wolverines.
The Hawks struck first as senior Melanie Pickert corralled a loose ball late in the 20th minute and sent in a strike from 8 yards out. It was her 6th goal of the season, which has moved her into second place on the team — just 1 goal behind the leader, fellow senior Cloe Lacasse.
Iowa, however, would not hold on to the lead that Pickert gave them for very long. Michigan responded with goals at the 37:49 and 40:54 marks to seemingly take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Sophomore Natalie Krygier had other ideas. The Novi, Michigan, native sent in a goal from the top of the box a little more than a minute after the Wolverines’ second goal to tie the game at 2.
The Hawkeyes did not allow Michigan to do anything in the final three minutes of the half and went into the break tied with arguably the second best team in the Big Ten.
That tie did not last.
Michigan scored 56 seconds into the second half and did not allow Iowa to do much of anything throughout the remainder of the game. The Wolverines added another goal in the 73rd minute to ice the game.
“Michigan is a great team and always a tough opponent especially on the road. Our team played some of the best soccer we have all year in the first half,” Iowa assistant coach Julie Hanley said. “We had some great moments that we will look to continue build on as well as some areas that we need to improve.”
One of the most telling statistics of this game was the number of shots taken by each team. Michigan and Iowa had 9 shots apiece in the first half.
The second half was not nearly as good for Iowa, as the Maize and Blue took 13 shots to Hawk’s 3. The Wolverines asserted themselves early and often in the second half, which proved to be deadly for the Black and Gold.
Junior keeper Hannah Clark took the loss for Iowa, making 5 saves but allowing 4 goals. Four of her five saves came in the second half.
Despite the loss, the Hawkeyes still managed to win their other game in the state of Michigan — a 1-0 battle with Michigan State. Iowa needed some points out of this weekend, and the 3 they got from Sparty was enough to make the two game road trip a success.
“The game against Michigan State was a great Big Ten game. Both teams worked extremely hard. To be able to get a win on the road in our conference is huge,” Hanley said. “Defensively we were very strong as a group and were able to come away with a win and shutout.”
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