THIS WEEK

The University of Iowa women’s soccer team travels to Starkville, Mississippi, on Thursday to take on Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. The Hawkeyes return home on Sunday to host Senior Day vs. Southeast Missouri State at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

• Thursday’s match will stream on the SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game will stream on B1G+. Subscriptions are required for both platforms.
• Links to streaming and live stats can be found at hawkeyesports.com/soccergameday.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Mississippi State started the season 3-0-1 with victories over Grand Canyon (2-1), Northwestern State (3-0) and FIU (2-0). The Bulldogs tied Arizona State in a scoreless match on Aug. 20.
• Last season, Mississippi State finished with a 12-6-2 record and earned the first SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament victories in program history.
• The Bulldogs return leading scorers Haley McWirther and Maggie Wadsworth, who scored 20 points apiece last season. Starting goalkeeper Maddy Anderson also returns.

SERIES HISTORY – MISSISSIPPI STATE

Iowa and Mississippi State tied, 1-1, in the only meeting between the two schools on Sept. 5, 2021.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS

• SEMO fell to Missouri, 4-0, in the season opener on Aug. 17 before picking up a pair of wins vs. Grambling State (4-1) on Aug. 20 and at Southern Illinois (2-0) on Aug. 27. The Redhawks tied, 0-0, vs. Evansville on Aug. 24.
• Cayla Corner leads the way offensively with six points on two goals and two assists. Emily Baker has also scored a pair of goals for the Redhawks.
• Last season, SEMO finished 8-6-3 with a 4-2-2 Ohio Valley Conference record.

SERIES HISTORY – SEMO

Iowa leads the all-time series, 2-1-0. The Redhawks won the first meeting between the two programs, 2-1, on Sept. 18. 2005. The Hawkeyes have won two straight in the series, most recently downing SEMO, 2-0, on Sept. 12, 2021.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Head coach Dave DiIanni is in his 10th season at the helm of the Iowa women’s soccer program. Last fall, the Hawkeyes finished 5-6-7 overall with a 2-3-5 Big Ten record, a few points shy of conference postseason qualification. Iowa returns eight players with at least three years of collegiate playing experience, including seventh-year player Josie Durr and fifth-year Samantha Cary, who was a captain last fall. Cary helps lockdown a Hawkeye defense that averaged just one goal allowed per game over the past two seasons while posting 13 clean sheets during that span.
• Many of those veterans played for Iowa during its Cinderella-run in the 2020-21 postseason, which saw a two-win regular season result in the first Big Ten Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament win in school history. One such player is redshirt junior Meike Ingles, who scored all four of her goals that year in the postseason, including three game-winners during the Big Ten Tournament. Ingles netted a hat-trick in fall 2021 vs. Illinois (10/17) and scored Iowa’s first goal of the 2023 season at FGCU.
• Another offensive headliner is junior Elle Otto, whose three goals, five assists and 11 points last season are returning team-bests. Otto leads Iowa with two goals and five points this season.
• Senior Macy Enneking returns in goal. Enneking ranks fifth in program history for career wins (16) and sixth in career shutouts (11).
• Iowa welcomes 16 newcomers, including 13 freshmen and three transfers.
• Cary, Enneking and Ingles were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.
• Cary, Enneking, and senior Maggie Johnston were voted team captains for the 2023 season.