The Iowa soccer team battled Michigan to a 1-1 draw on Sunday at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

The game was a back-and-forth affair. The Hawkeyes took an early lead and kept the Wolverines at bay in the first half, but Michigan controlled the second half.

Fifth-year senior Hailey Rydberg opened the scoring with a shot from 20 yards out in the 10th minute.

“I had a ton of space and I just decided to go for it,” Rydberg said.

Iowa pressed Michigan throughout the game, limiting the Wolverines to just four shots in the first half. Michigan, however, came out of halftime rejuvenated and ready to play — outshooting Iowa, 13-8, in the last 45 minutes.

Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni said Michigan’s second-half success was partly because the Wolverines started playing long balls over the top, something they hadn’t done before Sunday.

“As soon as they started going direct, I think we had some trouble with that,” DiIanni said. “Because our pressure up top was, you know, not great.”

The Hawkeyes held off the Wolverines for over 80 minutes, but goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm — who made eight saves on the day — received a red card in the 83rd minute for clipping a Michigan player who was on a breakaway.

The red card meant Iowa would have to finish the game with 10 players on the field and sub in goalkeeper Aubrey Hahn, who had only played 16 minutes this season before Sunday.

“I felt free and I played freely today,” Wilhelm said. “And it’s just unfortunate that I let one misjudgment cause something like that.”

Wolverine graduate student Meredith Haakenson stepped up to take the penalty and put it past Hahn’s left side in the 86th minute, tying the game at 1-1.

DiIanni said the tie is ultimately his fault for not adequately teaching his team how to play with a lead, citing that this is the fourth game this season that Iowa has led, but not won.

“I’m very happy with our group,” DiIanni said. “And we, even after the red card, we fought to get a point. And I think that’s really important character building for our team.”

Big Picture

Iowa is now 3-5-5 overall and 0-2-3 in the Big Ten. Sunday’s tie puts the Hawkeyes at 10th in the conference.

Injuries have been a theme for the Hawkeyes this year, and it was no different against Michigan. Forwards Kyndal Anderson and Kenzie Roling are still out with injury.

Iowa was also without sophomore Elle Otto, who is tied for the team lead with three goals and had started every game before Sunday. Freshman Brooklyn Woods also missed the game with appendicitis.

DiIanni said he expects one or two of those players to be back before the end of the season, but he did not specify which.

Hawkeyes, Wolverines take cards

Three players were booked on Sunday — two for Iowa, one for Michigan.

The first booking came in the 26th minute when graduate transfer Cassidy Formanek fouled a player on a breakaway, prompting the referee to give her a red card. He then changed to a yellow after consulting with the lines judge.

In the 72nd minute, the referee called a foul on Michigan’s Tamina Tolbert after she used her body to move sophomore Addie Bundy away from the ball.

When Tolbert took issue with the referee’s decision, he quickly reached into his pocket and gave Tolbert a yellow card for dissent.

The third booking came in the 83rd minute when Wilhelm received a red card for clipping a Michigan player on a breakaway. Wilhelm will be suspended for the following game against Minnesota.

Macy Enneking cleared to compete

Junior goalkeeper Macy Enneking has been cleared by doctors to return to the pitch. She was injured on Aug. 21 after she collided with teammate Halle Skibo.

With Wilhelm being out for Iowa’s next game, DiIanni said he is considering starting Enneking against Minnesota.

“We weren’t anticipating having to put her right in, but that might happen,” DiIanni said. “So, we’ll see how she trains and how she comes back.”

What’s Next

Iowa will travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Oct. 9. Minnesota is currently on a three game losing streak, with losses to Northwestern, Michigan, and Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes most recently faced the Golden Gophers at home in 2021, where Iowa walked away with a 1-0 win.