After a magical run that helped the players win the 2023 Big Ten Tournament as the eighth seed, the Iowa women’s soccer team is more than capable of pulling off another historic season in 2024.
The Hawkeyes have sprinted off to a strong start, going 5-0-2 in the non-conference portion of the schedule. A highlight of this stretch was a 2-0 victory over No. 18 Wake Forest and a draw with No. 12 Texas.
One of the reasons for the success is Iowa’s bench play, as several players regularly produce productive minutes. Berkeley Binggeli, Maya Hansen, Delaney Holtey, and Alexia Griffin bring a unique mix of experience to the field that could pay dividends in Big Ten play.
The depth of this Iowa offense has been truly impressive and has caused problems for its opponents. Eight different Hawkeyes have scored a goal this season, with first-year sensation Berit Parten leading the charge with five this very young season.
Following Parten is fourth-year forward Meike Ingles, who has tallied four goals on the season. Additionally, three other Hawkeyes have scored two goals, while two players have recorded one goal in the season. Having multiple threats on offense has proven to be a distinct advantage for Iowa that many teams do not have.
The Hawkeyes have also dominated shots on goal attempts compared to their opponents, having a total of 149 total shots while their opponents have less than half of that, at 67 shots on goals. Keeping defenses on their toes and controlling the pace of the game has proved to be very effective for Iowa so far.
Not surprisingly, the offensive success has translated to defense.
The Hawkeye offense controls the field in such a dominant fashion that opponents’ offenses are struggling to find opportunities to score. Even when those offenses do find a glimpse of hope in scoring, goalkeeper Macy Enneking stands in the way. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Week has Iowa tied for seventh in the nation for goals-against average alongside powerhouse Stanford.
Enneking’s efforts have led Iowa to a tie for ninth in the nation for shut-out percentage. The fifth-year broke the all-time school record in career shut-outs with 27.5 during a win against in-state rival Iowa State on Sept. 15.
The Hawkeyes have tremendous depth, offensive threats, and a tough defense. If you combine all of these attributes together, it will likely lead Iowa to great success in 2024— perhaps enough to make a tournament run.
However, this is not going to be an easy feat by any means. lowa has a tough Big Ten schedule, including matchups against Penn State and Rutgers.
Penn State is off to 2-0 start in Big Ten play with an overall record of 8-1-1. Rutgers is also off to an impressive 2-0 record in the Big Ten thus far. The Scarlet Knights are 4-1-1 in non-conference games and are currently on a five-game winning streak. Winning back-to-back Big Ten tournaments is a challenging feat, but the Hawkeyes have the weapons available to not only repeat in the Big Ten, but also to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. lowa could be the first team since Penn State to win back-to-back Big Ten titles, which occurred in 2001 and 2002.
Do not be surprised to see a headline that reads, “Iowa women’s soccer clinches back-to-back Big Ten tournament championships” in the near future.