Iowa soccer won its first Big Ten match of the season on Sunday, beating Indiana, 3-1, to end its five-game winless streak.

The game started with a lot of Hawkeye possessions until their first goal in the 12th minute on a cross by Leah Moss to Hailey Rydberg. Indiana quickly struck back with a goal in transition by Mykayla Brown in the 19th minute.

The Hawkeyes scored again in the 38th, as Rose Ripslinger put the ball in the back of the net, and the Hawkeyes took a 2-1 lead going into the half.

Iowa came out of the break firing, getting its third and last goal of the game from Natalie Winters in the 45th minute.

Iowa’s defense has been strong for the majority of the season, and it showed again against the Hoosiers.

“I think that just comes with practice and having trust with the back line,” Iowa goalkeeper Cora Meyers said. “We know we can compete at this high level, so we know when we are calm on the ball, we create our best chances. I trust them, and they trust me, so that creates a nice, calm dynamic.”

Having a strong leader on both sides of the ball is important for keeping a team strong and playing well. Without these leaders, the Hawkeyes may not have a winning record. They need to keep this mindset as they continue the Big Ten play.

It was a very different Iowa soccer team from what fans have seen in the squad’s other Big Ten games. The Hawkeyes kept possession for most of the game and scored numerous times. One major key was applying more defensive pressure.

“This was much needed,” Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni said. “We’re getting countered on too quickly on our set pieces, and that’s how they scored today. Defensively, we have been pretty good. They haven’t scored on the run-a-play at all; we’ve just been getting stretched out recently in set pieces in terms of our shape. That’s one thing we have to address because that’s what has given us trouble over the past few weeks.”

Winters is a key player for the Hawkeyes, as she has shown throughout the season; her goal was her fifth of the season. Having a leader such as Winters makes the offense successful.

“Just knowing that when someone gets the ball, we have to keep moving to create space and moments for us,” Winters said. “We wanted to come out with a strong mentality to compete, and we knew we needed points this week, and that’s what we got.”

It’s important for Iowa’s success to maintain a strong offense and continue its stellar defense. Now 5-4-2, the Hawkeyes will face Ohio State on Thursday and Penn State on Sept. 30, both on the road.