Iowa soccer started home-field Big Ten play by drawing with Purdue, 1-1.

The Hawkeyes came close to capping the game with a winner, but a Purdue defender barely saved the Hawkeye shot, kicking the goal post in the process.

The game started slowly, with a lot of back and forth until Aly Mielke netted the first goal for the Boilermakers in the 19th minute. The Boilers had another opportunity in the 23rd, but the shot went high. Besides those two chances, Purdue spent most of its time on defense, trying to stop the sometimes-oiled machine that is the Hawkeye offense.

Iowa came out of the half making its defensive presence felt. The Hawkeyes allowed 8 shots in the second half. Their first and only goal came in the 16th minute with a deep shot from Natalie Winters.

Purdue goalie Katie Luce went down after a collision with a Hawkeye but remained in game and finished with 4 saves. Iowa’s Cora Meyers also finished with 4.

“I think we created some of the better chances we’ve had all season today,” Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni said. “We hit a post, one gets cleared off the line, and we miss some sitters in the box, but our work in that area has shown.”

It was a classic story for the Hawkeyes: hard defense and missed chances. After the first half, Iowa had 4 shots but could only put 1 in the back of the net.

One major positive for the Hawkeyes was freshman defender Riley Whitaker. She shut down her half of the field, taking away the ball, forcing turnovers, and bringing the Purdue offense to a halt on numerous occasions.

“A lot of it comes from communication,” Whitaker said. “I’m next to Hannah [Drkulec], who helps me all the time and tells me where to go, so that’s very helpful.”

Against Indiana on Sept. 23 at the Iowa Soccer Complex, the Hawkeyes will try again to get their first win after shaking off a four-game losing streak. Iowa enters the game with a 4-4-2 record, and the Hoosiers sit at 6-1-2.

After the Purdue tie, the Hawkeyes will try to change their play.

It will be the second home game in a row for Iowa in the Big Ten, while Indiana is playing its second-consecutive road game. Indiana is undefeated in the Big Ten, while Iowa is 0-2-1.

The Hawkeyes will need to rely on their strong defense for the game on Sept. 23. Indiana’s offense is powerful, scoring 21 goals this season. Iowa has scored only 11, but its defense has been strong, limiting opponents to 11.

Following the game against the Hoosiers, the Hawkeyes will hit the road for three-straight matches against Ohio State, Penn State, and Nebraska before hosting Michigan State on Oct. 12.