Iowa soccer failed to carry its momentum from its opening Big Ten victory as the Hawkeyes dropped both matches of the first conference road trip of the season.

The Hawkeyes lost to Indiana, 2-0, on Thursday, and fell to Purdue, 2-1, in overtime on Sunday.

The Indiana match didn’t get off to a good start for the Hawkeyes, as Hoosier sophomore forward Anna Bennett found the back of the net from the top of the penalty box in the fifth minute.

For the first time in the 2021 fall season, the Hawkeyes surrendered more than one goal in a match.  In the 30th minute, Hoosier junior midfielder Paige Webber pushed the ball from just outside the top right corner of the goal area past junior goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm.

Before the second half started, Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni told the BTN broadcasting crew that he would play two forwards instead of the usual three. The Hawkeyes had two shots in the first half.

The adjustment led to Iowa putting up six shots in the second half, but none would get past freshman goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg, who posted her seventh shutout of the season.

“Tonight wasn’t our best performance as a team, but some credit has to go to Indiana,” DiIanni said in a Thursday release. “The game unfortunately was dictated right from the start by them physically, technically and tactically. We rebounded in the second half and played much better, but that is an Indiana team that is very comfortable defending behind the ball at times and we weren’t able to create enough quality chances.”

Against Purdue, the Hawkeyes fell in the 98th minute after surrendering a goal to senior Boilermaker midfielder Teagan Jones.

Neither the Hawkeyes or the Boilermakers scored until the 87^th minute, when Iowa graduate forward Alyssa Walker slid the ball past Purdue senior goalkeeper Marisa Boya in the penalty area for the match’s first goal.

But Iowa forfeited the lead when Boilermaker redshirt senior forward Sarah Griffith scored in the 90th minute — 19 seconds to be exact before the second half expired.

“I am so proud of our team and the way we played against a very good Purdue side, who’s having a great year,” DiIanni said in a Sunday release. “Gutted for the ladies that the result was in our grasp and unfortunately we didn’t do enough to control the three points with our controllable details. We continue to grow and get better from this adversity and will be prepared to play next weekend at home.”

BIG PICTURE

The Hawkeyes (7-3-1 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten) failed to earn any points on the road trip and fell in the conference standings.

Iowa only managed one goal on the road trip.

After two weekends of conference play, Iowa is ninth in the Big Ten standings. With seven conference matches remaining, the Hawkeyes still have time to make up ground in their attempt to qualify for the eight-team Big Ten tournament. 

LETDOWN

The Iowa defense was stellar heading into the series, allowing no more than one goal in a match and having four shutouts. Their 0.56 goals allowed per match was the fourth lowest in the Big Ten.

But with the Hawkeyes relinquishing two goals in both matches, it represented the first time this season that Iowa showed a poor defense.

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes will return to the Iowa Soccer Complex for a match against Maryland on Thursday, followed by another game against Michigan State on Sunday.

Maryland (4-3-4 overall, 0-1-2  Big Ten) heads into its meeting with Iowa coming off a 1-1 draw against Northwestern. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern, 2-1, on Sept. 19.

The Spartans (7-1-2, 2-1 Big Ten) are coming off a 2-1 victory over Minnesota and will compete against Nebraska on Thursday.