Iowa Soccer dominates Oregon in home finale
Nearly 1,800 fans packed the UI Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon to watch the sixth-ranked Iowa Soccer team in their final regular season home game of the season. The Hawkeyes delivered a dominating 4-0, shutout win over the Oregon Ducks to clinch a top three seed at the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa moves to 13-1-3 on the season and 8-1-1 in Big Ten play.
Despite entering today’s match with a 5-9-2 record, the Hawkeyes did not take the Ducks lightly. With Big Ten Tournament seeding implications on the line, Dave Dilanni’s squad came out and handled business.
“We talked a lot about being professionals and being mature and knowing that everyone’s good. You’ve got to do the job and take every opponent with the amount of respect they deserve,” said Dilanni. “I thought we were a little slow at the beginning of the game, but from then on, for 80 minutes, I thought we played really well.”
The opening 15 minutes of the match did not provide much excitement for either side, but the Hawkeyes knew that goals were going to come if they controlled the possession. They did just that, out possessing the Ducks 56%-44% and holding them to just three shots on goal.
Iowa broke the ice with a goal in the 18th minute. Meike Ingles found her teammate Rielee Fetty in the box and Fetty sent a solid strike past Oregon GK Anna Solomon for the opening goal of the match.
With postseason play approaching, Dave Dilanni opted to go deeper into his bench, playing 23 players in Sunday’s match. A pair of subs, Berkley Binggeli and Caleigh Collard, teamed up to double the Hawkeyes lead in the 35th minute. Binggeli chased down a pass from Berit Parten at end line and floated a ball into a dangerous area that was found by Collard. She converted a header for her first career goal to make it 2-0 Iowa.
“For me, the biggest part of the game, is that we had players that were coming off the bench, that were keeping the standard high and expectations high,” said Dilanni. “We played 12 players off the bench, and they played well.”
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The Hawkeyes kept their foot on the gas in the second half, putting another goal on the board in the 54th minute. Berit Parten attacked along the end line and waited until the last second before dumping off a pass to Sofia Bush in front for the easy finish. Her fifth goal of the season made it 3-0 Iowa.
Although a 3-0 lead was more than enough to pick up three points, there was more to come in the late stages of the match. Lauren Geczik sent a corner kick ball into the box that pinballed around off of several players before finding senior forward Delaney Holtey in front of the goal. She chipped one past the Oregon keeper for her first career goal in her final regular season home game.
“She’s one of our favorites in the program,” said Dilanni. “She works really hard, and sometimes you don’t get back what you put in, in terms of playing time and Delaney’s understood that she’s playing behind two very good players…She’s somebody I’m very close with. I’m happy for her.”
Looking at the final stats, Iowa outshot Oregon 20-7 and held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal. The 4-0 victory ties the Hawkeyes largest margin of victory this season, while the shutout gives them ten total shutouts on the season. That ranks as the sixth-most in the country.
Up Next: The Hawkeyes travel north for their regular season finale on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm CT on BTN+.
