The old adage ‘defense wins championships’ holds true for the Iowa Women’s Soccer team, whose recent success is largely attributed to their defensive prowess. Over the past five seasons, the Hawkeyes have totaled a remarkable 45 shutouts and conceded only 78 goals across 93 games (0.83 per gm). Last season, their defense was particularly formidable, ranking third in the country in shutouts (13) and 40th in goals allowed per game (0.76).
“For us, our staple is defending…We’re going to press you, we’re going to be in your face and we’re going to be difficult to play through,” said head coach Dave Dilanni. “We have our core model and that’s going to start with defending and I think championships come down to the defending side of the field.”
The Hawkeyes return three of their four starters on the defensive half of the field, but the graduation of five-year starter Sam Cary means it’s time for someone new to emerge and lead the way. We take a look at the Iowa defense discussing who could step up in the place of Sam Cary and give an outlook on the group as a whole.