Iowa wins one and loses one on its trip to Indiana and is 3 points shy of a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
By Jordan Zuniga
Iowa (8-6-1) advanced 3 points closer to its goal of making it to the Big Ten Tournament after a 2-1 victory over Purdue in West Lafayette on Sunday. The win followed a 2-1 loss in Bloomington, Indiana, on Oct. 12, which added a great deal of significance to Sunday’s game.
As has been the case with all eight of their wins, the Hawkeyes scored first on Sunday when a Corey Burns cross met Natalie Winters’ head to give them an early 1-0 lead.
It was the first non-penalty-kick goal for Winters and her first registered point since Sept. 8.
In the second half, senior Karly Stuenkel helped ice Iowa’s lead with a goal in the 79th minute to make the match 2-0. She has heated up recently and now has 4 goals on the season, all of them coming in the last five games.
Her spike in performance may be an effect of her taking more shots.
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In the first 10 games, she took 18 shots; she matched that total in the last five.
Purdue might have been knocked down after Stuenkel’s goal, but that didn’t keep them from dragging the game out.
In the 87th minute and after a storm of Boilermaker shots, Kylie Hase put the Boilermakers on the board and her opponents on edge.
Luckily, Iowa defended for three more minutes and gained a much needed 3 points, putting the Hawkeyes ninth in the Big Ten — a far cry from the cellar but still one spot away from being in the Big Ten Tournament.
“I continue to be impressed with this team’s ability to show resiliency along this tough Big Ten season,” head coach Dave DiIanni said. “After [Oct. 12], they were disappointed not to have taken advantage of a good performance, but [Sunday] they were determined not to leave Indiana without points. We are very determined to get into the Big Ten Tournament and extend this season together.”
As good fortune would have it, even though the Hawkeyes’ schedule still lacks a Big Ten tournament date, they control their own destiny. Due to a postponed Nebraska game earlier in the season, both Iowa and Nebraska currently have played one fewer game than the rest of the Big Ten.
This means Iowa has 3 more possible points left to gain compared with the rest of the Big Ten. It’s an advantage the Hawkeyes need to snag this week.
This is the week the Hawkeyes distinguish themselves as either spectators nor participants at this year’s fast-approaching Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes and Huskers will have a critical matchup at the Iowa Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Iowa will then host Wisconsin on Saturday, also at the Iowa Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.
