The Hawkeyes beat Illinois, 1-0 and Nebraska and Michigan hang L’s to complete the Hawkeyes’ improbable run to make the tourney.

By Jordan Zuniga
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After a two-year hiatus, the Iowa soccer team will return to the Big Ten Tournament, thanks to a series of fortunate events.

Its lucky night began when Rutgers defeated Michigan, 1-0, ensuring a Hawkeye win would propel the squad ahead of the Wolverines.

“The girls earned the right to get into the Big Ten Tournament with how they finished the last seven games,” head coach Dave DiIanni said. “This is a difficult conference, and this team is growing before our eyes.”

The Scarlet Knights’ victory meant it was time for the Hawkeyes to take care of their business against the Illini.

It was a quick start for the Hawkeyes. They scored in the seventh minute when sophomore forward Devin Burns knocked in a goal to make it 1-0.

Her 9th goal of the season was courtesy of Karly Stuenkel, who, with that assist, scored point No. 38 as a Hawkeye.

The rest of the half was rather dry — the teams combined for 5 shots in the first half.

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Illinois started opening things up in the second half, unveiling a flurry of early shots, but goalkeeper Claire Graves and the rest of the Iowa defense remained strong.

Other than a few last-minute desperation shots by the Illini, the game was played in the middle of the field.

“I’m proud of our team tonight,” DiIanni said. “It was important to me that this senior class walked off the field with smiles on their faces and a win. They deserve much credit for the growth our program has seen the last few years in creating a strong culture.”

After the win, Iowa’s season came down to the game going on  300 miles west in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Hawkeyes needed Minnesota to win, not draw, in order for them to make the tourney. The Iowa soccer team may have bit off all of its nails, but the school to the north came through and won 1-0 in double overtime.

With the Nebraska loss, Iowa finishes in No. 8 in the regular-season Big Ten standings, good enough for the last spot in the tournament.

The No. 8 seed means it will play the Big Ten regular-season champions in Ohio State, which beat Iowa, 2-0, earlier in the season.

The game will be played in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 29 with the time to be announced.