What's the difference between a fluke and a trend? It's a hard question to answer (one I spend my day job as a marketing analyst trying to solve) and made even harder when it comes to college athletes. We've seen teams put together horrendous performances and follow them up with Herculean performances the next week (hello, 2016 football vs. Michigan) and we've seen teams that are seemingly on a roll inexplicably crumble (hello, most 2010s men's basketball teams).
The difference between meaningful change and noise is almost impossible to find and pinpointing the exact moment where it switches from one to the other is even harder. For the past few weeks, Hawkeye soccer has looked like they're close to breaking through and their performance this past week proved that out. There may not be enough time for the group to qualify for the postseason, but a strong week to finish the season is a nice confirmation that the work they put in is breeding success.
Let's take a look.
This Week's Spotlight: Hawkeye Soccer
Iowa soccer kicked the week off with a 2-1 win over #13 Northwestern before following it up with a 1-1 draw against #24 Penn State. Against Northwestern, Iowa made a point of being aggressive early and often. The Hawks got off eight shots in the half and caused an own goal from the Cats from a free kick in the 28th minute. Five minutes later, the Hawkeyes doubled their lead when Addie Bundy sent one past the keeper with a perfectly placed shot into the upper left corner.
ADDIE BUNDY FROM DOWNTOWN!!!
— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) October 21, 2022
The #Hawkeyes lead No. 13 Northwestern, 2-0, in the first half!#FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/gB6XaTml7x
Northwestern didn't go down quietly, finding a goal of their own in the 48th minute. It led to a tense finish, but Iowa's defense held firm and rebuffed the Wildcats' frantic attempt to find an equalizer to give the Hawkeyes an enormous ranked win, their fifth against a ranked opponent all-time.
Iowa followed up the huge road victory with another strong outing against Penn State. This time, Iowa found themselves down 1-0 at halftime and showed off their resilience. Caroline Halonen scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute. It was her fifth goal of the year, tied for the team lead. The match remained tied into the 84th minute when PSU was awarded a penalty kick that looked like a backbreaker for the Hawks. Instead, goalie Macy Enneking made a huge save, denying the Nittany Lions the game-winner and preserving the point for the Hawkeyes.
Thats # for @carolinehalonen #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/WtaJNwFnr1
— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) October 24, 2022
The Hawkeye soccer team was so close all season. Hell, they drew seven matches, second in the country to only Bellarmine (a Kentucky college with just over 2,000 students if you're wondering). Over the past few weeks, the group finally seemed to put together complete performances. Unfortunately, the calendar worked against them and they ran out of time to qualify for the postseason.
It's a good sign that the team was playing their best ball to end the season and a bitter pill to swallow to see that the group won't get a chance to continue building on their momentum. Coach Dianni and the team can use the strong close to the year as a jumping-off point for offseason workouts, but it's a reminder that the games at the start of the season matter just as much as the ones at the end. Hawkeye Soccer was close all season and they showed in the final weeks that they can play with, and beat, some of the country's top teams. The obvious next step is to turn that into a consistent full season, but this program continues to show they have the potential to break through.
Hawkeye Whiparound:
- The Iowa field hockey team's goal-scoring drought continued last weekend, as they fell 1-0 to #6 Michigan. Iowa was only able to muster four shots, and while Grace McGuire and the defense did what they could, you can't win games if you can't find the back of the net. It's been quite a rough patch for this team, but if there's any glimmer of hope, it's the talent level of the group. Talent doesn't equal results, but you have to believe this team is too talented to stay down for much longer. They'll be back out there this Friday against MSU.
- Iowa volleyball fell to Minnesota and Ohio State last week. Both opponents were ranked in the Top 10 and the Hawks can take a silver lining in the fact that they were able to take a set off of the #6 Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes' schedule will finally let up this week as they take on Maryland on Thursday before traveling to Evanston to battle Northwestern and their highly-regarded tech coordinator (who also happens to be my brother).
- Iowa swimming battled Nebraska last week, falling 175-123. The standout performer for the Hawks was diver Makayla Hughbanks, who won the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events, setting career bests in each. Twenty different season-bests were set by the Hawkeyes in the event. Iowa next travels to take on Minnesota on November 11th.
- The Hawkeye cross-country teams competed in the Illini Open last week, finishing sixth. Anna Barroso paced the women in the 5,000-meter race, finishing 8th in 18:37, while the men's top finisher was Carson Houg, who finished 15th in the men's 8,000-meter race. Their next race will be the Big Ten Championships on October 28th.
- Iowa women's golf finished in 15th place at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational last week. Paula Miranda led the way for the Hawkeyes, finishing tied for 33rd at +16. The men's team finished 10th at the Williams Cup, led by Ian Meyer who shot a +10 to finish tied for 21st. These tournaments marked the last of the fall slate for both teams, who will now turn their attention to preparation for the spring season.
