The Iowa women’s soccer team found itself in familiar territory this season on the edge of postseason qualification late in the year.
Last season, the Hawkeyes narrowly missed out on the Big Ten Tournament, finishing ninth in the conference with the top eight teams qualifying.
“I think this team differs from our last one because of how young we are,” fourth-year goalkeeper Macy Enneking said. “[The younger players] are so excited to see what happens when we do win and when we do go further.”
Enneking added the seniors and upperclassmen on the team have encouraged that excitement, but they need to trust the process and put in the work because that’s what will lead the Hawkeyes to long-term success.
Growth has been a theme for Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni. Iowa added 16 newcomers to the roster ahead of the season with 13 of them being first-years. Nine of those 13 have seen playing time this year, and DiIanni thinks this fresh set of rookies can leave their mark on the program if they adopt the right mindset.
“I think extending the season and playing meaningful games when results matter has two purposes,” DiIanni said. “One, it often puts a nice cap on the upperclassmen’s careers, but it also allows freshmen to understand what development looks like and how to play under pressure.”
The Hawkeyes had a great start to the season as they went undefeated in their non-conference slate, but the team slowed down once the Big Ten schedule started.
“I think when you’re in one of the best conferences in the country, there’s an understanding that it’s going to be challenging,” DiIanni said. “I think what our team has done a fantastic job of is they’ve really tried to not ride the wave of emotion up and down and stay relatively calm in the process.”
Enneking added that the team wasn’t frustrated with its play in the Big Ten. She said the team had to realize what playing in the Big Ten was like and understand that every team is good, while continuing to find new ways to grow as players and as a group.
Before Iowa’s final two games against Michigan and Michigan State, the Hawkeyes sat in seventh in the conference but had five teams within three points of them.
Enneking said Iowa wanted to make the tournament but didn’t want to look ahead too much. She added the Hawkeyes had to focus on the teams in front of them and win one of their final games to secure qualification for the Big Ten Tournament.
A 1-1 draw against Michigan on Oct. 19 dropped the Hawkeyes down to eighth — just one point ahead of Northwestern and Michigan and one point behind Rutgers and Ohio State.
Despite the disappointing result against Michigan, DiIanni said the team played well for the full 90 minutes against a quality opponent and praised the team’s togetherness in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the following morning.
After the Michigan game, Iowa played its final game of the season against Michigan State on Oct. 22.
The Spartans won the matchup against the Hawkeyes, 3-0, but Iowa still qualified for the Big Ten Tournament after Northwestern and Michigan both lost.
The Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals will begin on Sunday, Oct. 29.
“It’s been really important for our staff, program, and players to make sure they are taking a day-to-day, growth-minded, process-driven approach,” DiIanni said. “I think when you focus too much on goals and the end outcome you can get yourself to be too results-driven. We want our team to enjoy the process and focus on the reasons why we’re successful versus the end result.”