Iowa soccer kicked off its 2020-21 season on Saturday, playing an exhibition game against South Dakota as part of the Hawkeyes’ preseason training.

At the Iowa Soccer Complex, the Hawkeyes beat South Dakota, 3-0.

The Hawkeyes and the Coyotes played three 30-minute periods, unlike the regular season slate of two 45-minute halves. Iowa scored a goal in each of the three periods, with senior midfielder Hailey Rydberg scoring the first goal for the Hawkeyes at the 12-minute mark.

“I think the first initial reaction is winning is important,” Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni said postgame. “I thought we scored three nice goals, didn’t give anything up at the back. We certainly got loose at times back there. We have not done anything with a solid first group or second group so there’s been no real relationships that have been formed throughout the whole camp.”

Senior midfielder Josie Durr scored the second goal of the game for the Hawkeyes at the beginning of the second period. Durr suffered an injury in the second period as well, but she walked off the field under her own power. After the exhibition match, Durr was walking on crutches.

Freshman forward/midfielder Kenzie Roling scored the final goal of the game with about two minutes left.

Rydberg said the two graduate transfers — forwards Alyssa Walker from Richmond and Courtney Powell from Iowa State — did a good job during the match.

“They’ve definitely got some speed, which is helpful,” Rydberg said. “I think just being able to form those relationships where you kind of already know where they’re going to go, so it’s just more smooth all together, is going to be really important but again that comes with time.”

On the defensive front, the Hawkeyes didn’t play senior defenders Sara Wheaton and Riley Whitaker, but the Hawkeyes saw some fresh faces on the field.

‘With the three periods we played today, we had a lot of new faces also back there, trying some people in different positions,” junior defender Sam Cary said. “So, it was good to see some good tackles, some cohesiveness, and we’re building to what is going to be special in two, three weeks.”

RELATED: Iowa soccer notebook: Hawkeyes start preseason practice

Freshman Addie Bundy — a late addition to the Hawkeye program — also played against the Coyotes Saturday. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native did not sign to Iowa until June 2021.

Cary said she was impressed with Bundy’s soccer IQ and how she played some dangerous balls and set pieces.

Throughout preseason practice, DiIanni said Bundy is at 85 percent

“She’s been a great addition, and quite honestly, she’s a leader for somebody who’s quite young,” DiIanni said. “We can play her anywhere. You can play her in the midfield, you can play her in the back. She served the ball for the first ball that came off of Zoë Bessert’s head to Hailey Rydberg. Just a really good soccer player that is going to help everybody else out.”

The Hawkeyes have 10 days of preseason ahead of them before the regular season starts against DePaul on Aug. 19. DiIanni said the Hawkeyes will try to improve the consistency of what the lineup will look like and what roles his student-athletes will play.

The Hawkeyes will have their final exhibition game of the season Friday Aug. 13 against Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. at the Iowa Soccer Complex.