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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa women’s soccer wins Big Ten Championship, earns automatic bid to NCAA Tournament

The Hawkeyes beat the Wisconsin Badgers, 1-0, after a first-half penalty kick from veteran midfielder Josie Durr.
Isaac Elzinga, Sports Reporter
November 5, 2023
Lua Rasga
Iowa midfielder Sofia Bush celebrates during a soccer match between Iowa and Maryland at the Soccer Complex in Iowa City on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. The Hawkeyes defeat the Terrapins, 5-0.

The Iowa women’s soccer team completed its Cinderella run.

The Hawkeyes took home the Big Ten Tournament title on Sunday, beating No. 12 Wisconsin, 1-0, at Lower.com field in Columbus, Ohio. 

The Hawkeyes earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win and will most likely get a home-field advantage in the first round. The NCAA will air its selection show on Monday to announce seeding and matchups for the first round. 

The Hawkeyes are the first eight-seed to win the Big Ten Championship in the conference’s history and were the lowest-seeded team to reach the final since 2005.

The championship win is Iowa’s second tournament title in the last four years. The Hawkeyes last won the tournament in the 2020-21 season, also beating Wisconsin, 1-0, in that match. 

Iowa scored the lone goal of the match in the first half after veteran midfielder Josie Durr put away a penalty kick to the left of the Wisconsin goalkeeper. 

Match recap

Iowa had one shot on goal all match off the penalty kick from Durr while Wisconsin had eight. But the Hawkeyes needed just one to claim the championship.

Of Wisconsin’s eight shots, only two were on goal because of the positioning and awareness of the Iowa back line. The Hawkeyes’ defenders almost always found themselves in front of the Badgers’ shots, blocking them before they reached goalkeeper Macy Enneking.

The Hawkeyes may have managed just one shot on goal all game, but they were aggressive the entire match. The pressure the team applied to Wisconsin constantly threw the Badgers off rhythm and halted their attacks. 

Down one, Wisconsin threw everything forward in the closing minutes, hoping to find an equalizer and send the game into overtime, but almost every entry pass was thwarted by the Iowa defense and cleared away, chipping more and more time off the clock.

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