Iowa Soccer overcomes early deficit, knocks off #15 Penn State

Coach Dave Dilanni constantly preaches to his team that they have to have the belief and confidence that they are one of the top teams in the country. On Thursday night, belief became a reality. The 18th-ranked Iowa Soccer team knocked off perennial Big Ten power Penn State. As the final horn sounded, the Hawkeyes bench spilled onto the pitch in celebration of their 2-1 victory over the 15th-ranked Nittany Lions.

“It’s a common misconception that we’re the underdog. We hate that term. We are not the underdog,” says forward Maya Hansen. “We’re here to play and we are in these situations for a reason. We’re meant to compete in these games.”

Coming into the matchup, the defenses of Iowa and Penn State had combined to allow just ten goals in 21 games this season. The expectation was that Thursday’s top 25 showdown could possibly be decided by whoever scored first. That thought was thrown out the window when the Nittany Lions stunned the Hawkeyes with a goal in the opening minute of the match.

PSU backer Ginger Fontenot pushed a long ball down the sideline for teammate Amelia White, who won the race past Iowa defender Eva Pattison and delivered a driving shot over the head of goalkeeper Macy Enneking for the game’s opening goal.

“Kind of a shock one minute into the game, but we didn’t let that really affect us,” said Hansen who came off the bench for Iowa. “We tried to stay positive, lift the people up who were on the field and spread positive energy and know that we have confidence in them.”

While Penn State believed they had just delivered a staggering gut punch, the Hawkeyes returned the favor with the equalizer just three minutes later in the fourth minute. A long ball from the midfield line by Meike Ingles caromed off of a PSU defender and rolled out into open space along the edge of the box. Sofia Bush got to the ball first and hit a blistering strike into the top right corner of the goal to even the game up at a goal apiece.

“I thought the game really boiled down to us scoring three minutes later. We were able to punch back and score,” said head coach Dave Dilanni. “We told (Sofia), you can hit any ball you want, we want you to shoot more, so I’m glad she did that.”

“When it left Sofia’s foot, there was no doubt that it was going in the net,” said Hansen. “Was a great goal by her. Lots of composure and confidence from her, which really helped elevate our entire team.”

BOOM 💥

4:06 | No.18 Iowa 1, No.15 PSU 1

Sofia Bush x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ezwak7UARh

— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) September 27, 2024

The Hawkeyes jumped back on the attack in the 31st minute and found a stunning goal of their own. Rielee Fetty sent a ball out wide towards Meike Ingles, who quickly flicked a looping ball forward into a dangerous area. Forward Maya Hansen chased it down and was able to get a slight touch on the ball with her right foot, as defender Ginger Fontenot tumbled over her. The touch fooled goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh and the ball slowly rolled into the net for the go-ahead goal. It’s the fourth goal of the season for the transfer from South Dakota State.

“Great slip through ball (from Meike). Honestly, that’s a team goal, we built the ball up pretty well there. Saw the goalie cheating over a little bit to her right, so I just tried to get a toe on it, and it trickled in,” said Hansen. “Definitely one I am proud to add to my tally.”

“That’s a goal that Maya Hansen scores. She doesn’t need much more than just a toe poke and a good angle,” said Dave Dilanni. “That a goal scorer’s goal and that’s why we’re excited to have her.”

The chemistry 🤌

30' | No. 18 Iowa 2, No. 15 PSU 1#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/o2EQP1VTBj

— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) September 27, 2024

After the Hawkeyes trailed early in the match, it was the Nittany Lions doing the chasing in the second half. They were able to control possession at points throughout the final 45 minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net with an equalizer. Coach Dilanni credited his players, as well as a coaching adjustment early in the half.

“I thought that might have been the best Maggie Johnston and Rielee Fetty have played. Sometimes when you say defenders, you just look at the backs, but I thought Rielee and Maggie showed why they are all-conference (midfield) players.”

“They switched systems at half, and we didn’t adjust to it very well, and then I switched to kind of match it, and I think that helped a little bit. They had a lot of possession in the back, but when they were tried to pull up and go forward, they didn’t have very much success in that regard.”

While the first 30 minutes were frantic, fast-paced and featured three goals, the final 60 minutes looked exactly like the game that many expected to see. A gritty, defensive battle. Iowa finished the game with seven total shots, including five on goal, while the Nittany Lions managed just two shots the entire night. The suffocating Hawkeye defense held PSU to their season-low in shots, which had previously been nine shots against Columbia.

“I don’t remember the last time a Penn State team only had two shots, so that’s a credit to our group and how they defended,” said Dilanni. “Really proud of our kids, but we’ve got to be humble, keep moving and keep getting better.”

With the win, the Hawkeyes improve to 2-0-2 against ranked teams this season. It’s the first time in program history that they have won multiple regular season games against ranked opponents.

“We didn’t get rattled by that (early goal). We didn’t let that affect us, and we scored less than ten minutes later,” said Maya Hansen. “I think that says a lot about our team’s effort and just the way we handle adversity. We didn’t let that shake who we are or change how we play.”

Up Next: The Hawkeyes will travel to Evanston for a matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats at Martin Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm CT on BTN+.