IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Three first half goals propelled the University of Iowa soccer team to a 4-0 victory over Maryland on Sunday afternoon at the Iowa Soccer Complex. It was the Hawkeyes' second straight shutout.
Iowa got on the board in the second minute when Maryland's Jenna Surdick deflected in a Natalie Winters free kick for an own goal, giving the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later, sophomore Olivia Fiegel doubled the Iowa lead, cleaning up a Terrapin turnover before firing the ball to a far post for her sixth goal of the season.
The Hawkeyes' scoring continued in the 23rd minute when sophomore Devin Burns netted her team-leading eighth goal following an assist from sophomore Hannah Drkulec. Burns also tallied an assist on Iowa's final goal -- a Karly Stuenkel strike in the 49th minute that gave the Hawkeyes their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since 2014.
KEY HAWKEYE PERFORMER
Sophomore Devin Burns’ performance over the weekend catapulted her to third in conference with 20 points on the season. The forward is also tied for third in the league in goals (8).
STAT OF THE MATCH
Iowa out-shot the Terrapins, 20-9. The Hawkeyes fell just short of tying the 21 shots they took against Southern Utah on Aug. 31.
QUOTING HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI
"We knew coming off of Friday and seeing some of the results that are occurring in the Big Ten that this has been the most parody that has existed in the conference. We have not been very good at home up until this weekend. We challenged our girls to be a little bit more competitive at home and try to take care of points at home, especially coming off of the Michigan weekend. To be able to get some goals, have two shutouts against two pretty good opponents, and get everybody playing time was a perfect scenario for us this Sunday."
NOTABLES
- Sophomore goalkeeper Claire Graves made four saves to notch her fifth shutout. Iowa hasn’t shutout two consecutive Big Ten opponents during the regular season since 2014.
- The Hawkeyes have out-shot their last four opponents by a combined total of 68-36.
- Iowa's four goals were the most scored in a Big Ten contest since the 2011 season when it netted six goals in a victory over Northwestern.
UP NEXTThe Hawkeyes hit the road for a two-game stint in the Hoosier State. Iowa will first stop in Bloomington to take on Indiana at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Oct. 12. The team will have a two-day break before facing Purdue in West Lafayette on Oct. 15 at noon.