Iowa soccer notebook | Hawkeyes winless on first Big Ten road trip

The Hawkeye soccer team went 0-1-2 in its trip east, but head coach Dave DiIanni is proud of Iowa’s commitment.

Daniel McGregor-Huyer

Iowa’s Sarah Wheaton dribbles the ball down the field during a soccer game between Iowa and Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Iowa and Pacific tied, 1-1.

Sam Knupp, Sports Reporter
September 29, 2022

The Iowa soccer team went winless with a couple draws on its first Big Ten road trip of 2022.

The Hawkeyes now sit with a record of 3-5-4 and are 0-2-2 in the conference.

Michigan State

Iowa started its trip with a 0-0 draw against Michigan State on Sept. 22.

The Hawkeyes controlled much of the game and outshot the Spartans, 10-7, but neither team could break the other’s back line, as all but one shot came from more than 12 yards out.

Both teams were physical from the onset, committing a total of 27 fouls and earning three yellow cards — two for Michigan State, one for Iowa.

Head coach Dave DiIanni said he was happy with his team’s performance and work rate — never taking their foot off the gas.

“We asked the team to play with conviction and passion for 90 minutes, regardless of how the momentum swung during the game, and they did that,” DiIanni said in a statement. “Michigan State is a very good team and can make even good teams look bad with how they expose you in the attack. I was very pleased with our commitment to stay invested in our game plan.”

Ohio State

The Hawkeyes next went to Columbus to face Ohio State, falling 2-0 on Sept. 25.

A 5th-minute goal from Buckeye sophomore Kailyn Dudukovich, assisted by fellow sophomore Sydney Jones, put Iowa on the back foot early on.

 

The Hawkeyes outshout the Buckeyes, 15-13, but the Ohio State defense made it difficult for Iowa to have much quality with its attempts. Ohio State sealed the game in the 67th minute when junior Kine Flotre scored off a deflection from her own free kick.

DiIanni said he was proud of how the Hawkeyes played, even if the result wasn’t to their liking.

“They did all that we asked tactically and created more than enough chances to control the outcome of the game,” DiIanni said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the margin for error is small in this great conference and Ohio State punished us for the mistakes that were made in each half.

“This group will not stop working to improve,” DiIanni added. “We will continue to push forward, and there are successful days ahead in the very near future because of that mentality they bring.”

Illinois

On Thursday, the Hawkeyes traveled to Champaign, where they battled Illinois to a 2-2 draw.

The contest proved to be another chippy affair for the Hawkeyes, as they committed 18 fouls to the Illini’s 13.

Fifth-year senior Sara Wheaton opened the scoring for Iowa in the 23rd minute. What was supposed to be a searching ball into the box went through Illinois senior goalkeeper Julia Cili’s hands, giving Iowa a 1-0 lead.

Cili was leading the Big Ten in saves coming into the game.

 

Illinois eventually broke through with a penalty kick goal from senior Aleah Treiterer in the 67th minute that came as a result of a questionable foul call on goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm.

The Illini continued to battle back, scoring again in the 73rd minute as sophomore Maeve Jones chipped Wilhelm, putting Illinois up, 2-1.

 

Iowa, however, was quick to answer as sophomore Elle Otto made a nice touch past a defender into space on the left side of the box, earning a corner for the Hawkeyes.

On the corner kick, fifth-year senior Hailey Rydberg’s shot was blocked by a defender standing on the goal line, and deflected straight to Otto, who put it into the back of the net.

Illinois created a few chances in the waning minutes of the match, but Iowa held on for the draw.

“We created more quality chances than any game previously, but lacked some composure at times in the final product,” DiIanni said in a statement. “I believe it’s a very good growth opportunity for our team to know they can come back from a few moments of adversity, as a group, to grab a tough point on the road.”