The Iowa women’s soccer team continued Big Ten play with a 1-0 home win against Rutgers at the Iowa Soccer Complex on Sunday.

The Hawkeyes entered the game against Rutgers with a 7-1-3 overall record — just 1-1-2 in the Big Ten play. 

The opening 10 minutes of Sunday’s match went back and forth between the Hawkeyes and Scarlet Knights, both teams taking a shot on goal but failing to convert. 

But Iowa quickly took over in domination of the possession, pressing high up the pitch and dispossessing Rutgers in its defensive third. The Hawkeyes lofted several crosses into the opposition’s box — but again failed to connect.

The Hawkeyes finally broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a goal from senior midfielder Josie Durr. 

The goal came off of an assist from junior forward Kenzie Roling after senior midfielder Rielee Fetty won the ball near the halfway line, catching the Scarlet Knights out of position and starting a counter attack. 

“I think [the midfield] is getting forward, joining the attack,” Fetty said. “We’re being more attack-minded and not being afraid to take risks.”

Even after the goal, Rutgers continued to struggle with Iowa’s high press, and the Hawkeyes continued to win the ball in the Scarlet Knights’ defensive half. 

In the closing minutes of the first half, Iowa gave Rutgers a free kick just outside of the box, but the shot sailed over the goal — and Iowa finished the half with a 1-0 lead. 

Second half consistency

The opening minutes of the second half ran similarly to the first with both teams earning chances in the opposition’s box. Rutgers snagged a corner kick that bounced off of a couple of heads, but Iowa cleared it out of its box.

As the second half continued, Rutgers again struggled with the Iowa high press. And the Hawkeyes often won the ball in the Scarlet Knights’ defensive half.

Rutgers did build some chances to catch the Iowa back line out of position, but the Iowa defense tracked back and prevented what would be numerous one-on-ones against the keeper.

Iowa earned yet another scoring opportunity with a shot by junior forward Kenzie Roling. Roling got her foot at the end of a cross, but Rutgers keeper Olivia Bodmer made a diving save, effectively keeping the Scarlet Knights from going down two. 

Rutgers fought back, fighting for a couple of last-effort scoring opportunities, but senior goalkeeper Macy Enneking remained vigilant and claimed any ball that came her way. 

In the closing minutes of the match, Iowa held onto the ball and wound the clock down in the corners of the pitch, winning the match with a final score of 1-0.

The Hawkeyes have improved to 8-1-3 overall and 2-1-2 — good for seventh in the Big Ten standings.

“I haven’t beaten Rutgers in my career,” Iowa senior defender Samantha Cary said. “Today, we just said, ‘Nope, we’re on our field. This is who we are.’ And we charged at them.”

Back to back

Iowa won its first Big Ten game against Purdue on Thursday in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Sept. 28.

It was a dominant 4-0 win for the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s Roling and Fetty joined senior midfielder Maggie Johnston and sophomore midfielder Kellen Fife in scoring in the match.  

Three of the four goals came in the first half, and the Hawkeyes outshot the Boilermakers 15 to eight, also winning the possession battle. 

“When … new momentum grows, you build that confidence,” Cary said. “Scoring on Purdue in the first 10 minutes and then getting three more and leaving with four goals was a great result.”

Stifling defense 

Iowa continued its great defensive record in the Rutgers win.

The Hawkeyes have allowed just three goals all season and have nine shutouts. 

“I think our foundation has to be about defending as a whole, top to bottom; it actually gives us the best opportunity to score,” Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni said. “It’s not about sitting low. It’s about being proactive and turning defending opportunities into attacking transitions.”

Cary may not have tallied anything in the final box score, but she still made her presence felt throughout the match. 

Not only was she crucial on defense in Iowa’s shutout victory over Rutgers, but she made runs forward in the first half and launched crosses into the box that kept Rutgers on the back foot. 

“I’m aware that that’s one of my strengths on the field; I have good service,” Cary said. “At the end of the day, if Rutgers isn’t going to press me, I can deliver a ball in the box.”

Looking ahead

The Hawkeyes hope their recent offensive output — five goals in the last two games — continues for the team moving further and deeper into Big Ten play.

“For a couple of weeks, we were pretty panicked and tight about not scoring at the level that we think we should be scoring,” DiIanni said.

But he thinks the group has come around and turned a corner in its attack, looking to build off of this momentum. 

Fetty thinks the team has turned a corner in conference play and said the team is really confident going forward, as the Hawkeyes will rest and practice until Oct. 7 when they march into Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers.

“We’re taking it all the way to the Big Ten Championship [and] making the NCAA [postseason],” Fetty said. “We’re going to do it all.”