A trio of second half goals lifts #25 Iowa Soccer past Colorado College
For nearly 60 minutes on Sunday afternoon, it didn’t feel like the Iowa Women’s Soccer team was getting rewarded for the chances they were creating. Finally, during a mad scramble in front of the goal, it was true freshman Berkely Binggeli that found the back of the net to open the floodgates for the Hawkeyes. They scored four unanswered goals, including three in the final 34 minutes of match to grab a 4-1 victory over Colorado College.
“Very happy with our team’s mentality and approach to not only this game, but what has occurred this weekend,” said head coach Dave Dilanni. “I thought that today we showed a glimpse of what our program can look like this year with the quality of depth coming from young players and transfers added to our returners. We will continue to grow in the demands of the game as teams and situations change. Great start to the year.“
The Hawkeyes nearly put a goal on the board seconds after the opening kickoff. Goalkeeper Macy Enneking sent a long ball towards the box and after a couple of headers, the ball found the foot of forward Elle Otto. She chipped one over the head of Colorado College keeper Regan Wallace, but it glanced off of the crossbar for a near miss.
In the first 15 minutes of the match, Iowa consistently maintained possession of the ball and put pressure on the Tigers defense. However, all Colorado College needed was a single transition opportunity to show that they came to play. Forward Tyler Rose sent a perfect cross into the box and freshman Finley Schoenback found the back of the net to give the Tigers a surprising 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.
The lead stuck for a while, but the Hawkeyes managed to make a breakthrough in the 30th minute. Sophomore midfielder Sofia Bush found space outside the box during a transition break and launched a left-footed strike into the top of the net, just over the outstretched hand of Colorado College goalkeeper Regan Wallace. Iowa went into halftime with a 7-1 advantage in shots, but the scoreboard showed a tie game.
Much like the first half, the second half began with Colorado College dodging some bullets to keep a potential draw intact. In the 48th minute, the Hawkeyes threatened with a corner kick and got several chances in close, but goalkeeper Regan Wallace fell on a shot from Millie Greer to keep the game knotted at one goal apiece.
Minutes later in the 57th minute, Iowa found themselves in nearly an identical situation. Ball in the box, a mad scrabble and multiple looks on goal. The first two shots were sent back, but the third time was the charm, as freshman Berkely Binggeli was able to find the net to give the Hawkeyes their first lead of the game. The dam was finally cracked and it felt like a flood was imminent. Insurance goals were coming.
The freshman from Heber City, Utah did not wait very long to put the second goal of her career on the board. Meike Ingles found Binggeli with a cross field pass and she did the rest, sending a right-footed shot into the net to give Iowa a commanding 3-1 lead.
Moments later, in the 84th minute, Elle Otto set up her teammate and Meike Ingles was rewarded for sharing the ball on the last goal. She sent a long range arcing shot into the top left corner of the goal for the exclamation point on a 4-1 victory. Iowa outshot Colorado College 19-4 and held a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks.
The win puts Dave Dilanni one short of 100 wins as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Dilanni is already the winningest coach in program history and is one of only two active coaches in the Big Ten with over 300 career wins.
Up Next, the Hawkeyes will travel to Kalamazoo for matchup against MAC favorite Western Michigan on Thursday. The Broncos won their season opener 3-0 against Northern Kentucky. Kickoff is set for 2:30pm CT on ESPN+.
