The Iowa women’s soccer team experienced a breakthrough season in 2023, winning the Big Ten tournament as an eighth seed and securing the program’s fourth-ever trip to the NCAA tournament.

Iowa suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Georgia in the second round of the NCAA tournament and immediately placed offensive improvement as a major priority for the 2024 season.

The revamped offense has worked out well for the Hawkeyes, as they have rolled to a 7-0-3 start and a No. 18 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll through the first 10 games of the new year.

Iowa has outshot its opponents 178-84 this season. At this current pace, the Hawkeyes are set to finish the regular season with over 320 shots, a warning signal to opposing defenses in the Big Ten.

For reference, the Iowa offense only recorded a total of 307 total shots during the entire 2023 season, including postseason action. Should Iowa play the same amount of tournament games as last year, they would record a total of 409 shots on the season, besting last season by over 100.

Another noticeable difference from last season is the total shots per game.

Iowa averaged 13.95 shots per game last season, but that number has jumped to 17.8 in 2024. While this may not seem like much to the average fan, soccer is a sport where one play and certainly one shot on goal can make all the difference between a win and a loss.

In an interview earlier in the season, first-year Berit Parten credited senior leadership as a big factor in Iowa’s offensive success this season.

“We have some really great seniors and graduate students who have really helped all of the freshmen on what to expect and what to do. They’ve helped us along the way. They’re pushing us and helping us get better while not getting too overwhelmed.”

Iowa head coach Dave Dilanni believes there are a multitude of factors that have contributed to his squad’s offensive success this season.

“We certainly have put a bit more focus on attacking shape and how we get the ball in certain spaces,” Dilanni said. “It certainly is not just [offensive] tactics that have helped us. Berit Parten, Maya Hansen, and Meike Ingles were not on this team last year. That accounts for over half our goals. So, I definitely think that there is an element to personnel as well.”

With eight regular season games left and tough opponents such as Penn State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin left on the schedule, the Hawkeye offense is going to have an uphill battle to continue their dominance.

“I would guess as the Big Ten goes on, games will get tighter, and games will get harder… You just won’t get as many opportunities as you may have gotten in the past because there is more video [for teams to scout].”

A balanced offensive and defensive attack will be key if the Hawkeyes want to repeat as Big Ten champions. Dilanni provided some insight on what he envisions will separate successful teams from unsuccessful teams.

“The teams that are really good at the end of the year are the teams that had small victories, but did not get too high or too low,” Dilanni said.