Third-seeded, No. 11 Iowa women’s soccer will begin a run at a repeat championship in the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday, rematching Washington after a regular-season-closing loss to Minnesota on Oct. 27.
With just one loss moving into the season finale, the Hawkeyes dropped a 2-1 game to Minnesota in Minneapolis this past Sunday. Finishing the regular season at 13-2-3, Iowa will return to the City of Lakes for a quarterfinal matchup with Washington.
Iowa soccer recorded a critical 1-0 win over the Big Ten newcomer in front of a lively home crowd of Hawkeye fans on Oct. 17. But the sixth-seeded 10-5-2 Huskies will now have a chance at redemption — and at spoiling Iowa’s hopes of postseason magic once more.
That’s because, last season, the Hawkeyes stormed through Big Ten competition in the tournament with upset after upset, culminating in the Big Ten tournament title itself.
First-year forward Berit Parten accounted for the lone goal of the last contest with Washington late in the first period, which ended up being the deciding factor in the game as both defenses proved their dominance throughout the second half of play.
If the second match between Iowa and Washington is anything like the first, fans will be in for a treat.
“We are anticipating another strong competitive game with Washington,” midfielder Rielee Fetty said. “They are definitely a capable team, and it was really fun to play them this year in the Big Ten.”
With the stakes already extremely high in the rematch, there is even more on the line this time around as the Big Ten tournament is a single elimination format. So, both teams will be playing with extra motivation.
“[It will be] crucial to eliminate piece opportunities [for Washington] in the box and key to winning balls in the midfield,” Fetty said. “Controlling possession and discipline will also be key. We really just need to trust in our ability.”
But veteran forward Kenzie Roling, a crucial piece in last year’s success, knows exactly how important it is to take it one game at a time during the postseason.
“With the Big Ten tournament, it’s a new start,” Roling said. “Washington has nothing to lose. So just sticking to our strengths is something we need to focus on.”
Parten believes, in order to be successful, Iowa soccer will have to rely on what worked the game before and be ready for whatever tricks Washington may have up its sleeve.
“I think we are definitely going to acknowledge what worked well for us in that game — it’s a whole new game,” said Parten. “There is definitely going to be some new things that they bring to the table. We have to be able to counter that.”
Regardless of what Washington throws at Iowa, the Hawkeye defense will have to focus on goal striker Ioanna Papatheodorou, who has eight goals and two assists on the season. Closely behind Papatheodorou is teammate Samiah Shell, who has recorded five goals on the season and three assists.
Thus, it is important for the Hawkeye defense to limit offensive opportunities set by Shell and Papatheodorou, as the duo has accounted for just over half of Washington’s goals this season.
Washington has some notable losses on the season to No. 10 Santa Clara and No. 8 UCLA, but the Huskies also have a crucial win over No. 18 Michigan State earlier in the year.
Anything is possible, and Washington has the capabilities to pull off an upset. That requires Iowa’s best soccer, and Parten said that looks like working as one cohesive unit.
“It’s apparent when you watch us that all parts of the field are working really well with each other,” she said. “Every part is moving. In those layers, when we are working together in those layers, that’s when the game looks easy. We definitely do have to adapt to the other team, but when we are playing as a unit, that’s when we are at our best.”
The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. In the semifinal on Nov. 7, the winner of this one will face the winner of the second-seeded UCLA game against the winner of the Minnesota-Penn State game.