Hawkeyes Face Georgia in NCAA Tournament Second Round – University of Iowa Athletics

THIS WEEK
University of Iowa women’s soccer travels to Clemson, South Carolina, to take on 4-seed Georgia in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Friday at Riggs Field. Second and Third Round games are hosted at eight regional sites on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19, with #1 Clemson playing host to #5 Iowa, #4 Georgia and #8 Columbia this weekend.

WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

• NCAA Tournament Second Round matches stream live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
• Links to streaming and live stats can be found at the gameday page on hawkeyesports.com.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• 12 Georgia (College Soccer News rankings) won the SEC Tournament, defeating No. 10 Arkansas in the championship match. The Bulldogs won the SEC East division at 4-3-3 in conference play.
• The Bulldogs defeated Liberty, 2-1, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Midfielder Croix Bethune had a pair of assists, hitting Kiera Staude for the game-winner in the 85th minute.
• Georgia tied Minnesota in a scoreless match on Aug. 31, its lone game against a Big Ten opponent this season; Iowa also tied Minnesota, 0-0, on Sept. 24.
• Nicole Vernis leads the Bulldogs offensively with 17 points on five goals and a team-best seven assists.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown has totaled 68 saves at a .764 percentage; the Bulldogs average 0.99 goals against and have pitched eight shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY – GEORGIA
Iowa and Georgia meet for the first time in program history. Iowa is 2-1-2 all-time against SEC opponents, including wins over South Carolina (Aug. 27, 2006) and Missouri (Aug. 21, 2016), as well as a draw last time out against Mississippi State (Sept. 5, 2021). The Hawkeyes will face an SEC opponent in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Bulldogs have, likewise, never faced a Big Ten opponent in the postseason.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Iowa defeated Bucknell, 2-0, in overtime on Friday for the second NCAA Tournament victory in program history. The Hawkeyes played before 2,639 spectators, a program attendance record at the Iowa Soccer Complex.
• The Hawkeyes became the first eighth-seed to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship in conference history last weekend. The conference championship is Iowa’s second since the 2020-21 season.
• Iowa ascended to the highest national rankings in program history heading into NCAA Tournament play, including 14th in the College Soccer News rankings and 17th by Top Drawer…