IOWA CITY — Five different Hawkeyes scored Saturday night as the University of Iowa women’s soccer team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Loyola (Ill.) at the Iowa Soccer Complex.
(TOP PHOTO via Iowa Athletics.)
The win improved Iowa to 2-0 on the young season and gave the Hawkeyes back-to-back shutout victories to open the year.
Iowa has now scored 12 goals in its first two matches of the season, the most in a two-game stretch to start a season in program history.
Liana Tarasco got the Hawkeyes rolling early, scoring in the ninth minute off an assist from Berit Parten to put Iowa on top 1-0.
The Hawkeyes kept the pressure on throughout the first half and doubled the lead in the 38th minute when Jada Grove found the net on a setup from Savannah Hutchins.
Iowa dominated the opening half, outshooting Loyola by a 15-1 margin and taking a 2-0 lead into the break.
The Hawkeyes didn’t let up after halftime.
Elle Wildman pushed the margin to 3-0 with an unassisted goal in the 54th minute. Kylie Cino followed with a goal from the middle of the box off another Hutchins assist, and Sara Batchadji capped the scoring by burying a free kick from outside the box.
Iowa controlled the match from start to finish, holding 67 percent of possession while outshooting Loyola, 29-3, with a 15-3 edge in shots on goal.
Braelynn Galt recorded two saves and posted her second straight shutout in net.
Head coach Dean Ward said Iowa’s balanced attack is becoming a major strength.
“It’s a challenge for other teams watching and scouting us,” Ward said. “If we can score from different players in different positions, it just gives other teams problems to deal with, not just one player who is a goal scorer, but scoring goals in different ways.”
The Hawkeyes have now outscored opponents 12-0 and outshot them 50-6 through two contests.
Saturday’s result also marked the first time since 2023 that Iowa has opened a season with consecutive shutouts.
Four Hawkeyes scored their first goals of the season in the win — Tarasco, Wildman, Cino and Batchadji — while Grove netted the first goal of her collegiate career.
Tarasco’s goal was the fifth of her career. Wildman’s second-half strike gave her three goals on the season and matched her 2025 scoring total. Cino’s goal was her first as a Hawkeye after transferring from South Carolina and the second of her collegiate career. Batchadji’s goal was her first at Iowa and the 13th of her career.
Through the first two matches, nine different Hawkeyes have already scored.
Iowa returns to action Aug. 20 when it travels to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face Wake Forest in its first road match of the season.