Iowa Soccer dismantles Milwaukee to open the Dean Ward era

“There’s no reason why we can’t score a lot of goals” Message received. The Dean Ward era got off to a buzzing start on Wednesday night, as the Hawkeyes net a touchdown worth of goals for an impressive 7-0 win over Horizon League favorite Milwaukee. “I don’t know that we’re going to score seven goals all the time, but it was nice to create a number of opportunities,” said Ward. “Some good finishes, good goals. Some of the play, we need to get better and I think the management of the game at times was a little sloppy, but to have that output, it’s not normal. I’m pleased with that side of things.” Although Milwaukee is going through quite a bit of roster turnover and will probably look much better in a month, it’s still a soccer program that has been to eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments. The Panthers looked overmatched by the Hawkeyes from the opening kick and were never really in the game. Missouri State transfer Reilly Heman opened the scoring with a goal in the 3rd minute, but she was the beneficiary of some good play around her. After a strong spring impressed the staff, sophomore Alli Macke got the opening night start and sprung the play along the right side of the field, before centering it in the box for Elle Wildman. Was it a pass or a shot? Who’s to say, but Wildman put one towards goal and Heman got her foot on it slide it past the keeper for the first goal of the season. After Berit Parten saw her sophomore season majorly limited by injury, she showcased why she can be a special player for the Hawkeyes. She may have had some good fortune on her side to score her first of the season in the 15th minute. Alli Macke, at the top of the box, tried to slide one through to Parten who was making a run, but Liana Tarasco got a touch first, potentially putting her in an offside position. The flag stayed down and Berit went for the far post, giving Iowa a 2-0 lead. “I kind of did (think I was offsides) for a second, especially because Liana touched it,” said Parten. “I think the far girl was keeping me on, so thankful for that.” One goal wasn’t enough for her. Making up for lost time from a year ago, Berit put another goal on the board to extend the Hawkeyes lead to 5-0 in the 69th minute. Given a lot of room to operate on the near side of the field, she walked into the box and then ripped an arcing shot off the far post for her second goal of the game. “I just saw an opening, and that’s a goal I can hit pretty often, so I really liked it,” said Parten. “It felt really good. Last year was a really big learning experience for me, and I just wanted to come out this season giving everything I had and play free.” The goals came in bunches. Too many to discuss. Berkley Binggeli bagged a pair of goals, scoring in the 37th minute and then on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute. Elle Wildman tacked on a goal in the 49th minute, while Lexy Griffin had the last of the night, a header off of a corner kick in the 80th minute. For the first time since 2021 against Purdue Fort Wayne, the Hawkeyes had two players with multi-goal nights, with Parten and Binggeli both finding the back on the net twice. It’s also their most goals in a match since an 8-1 win over Southern Utah back in 2017. In total, the Hawkeyes racked up 21 shots and had five different goalscorers. Although seven goals might not happen again this season, it was a snapshot of how dangerous this team can be as an attacking unit. “Pretty aggressive in that final third and people put themselves in front of the goal, able to take chances and finish from those areas,” said Ward. “Depth, balanced attack. It’s nice to be able to score different types of goals, as well as different people and I think that’s a real bonus for us. You can’t just mark one player and take us out of a game. There’s multiple threats that they have to deal with.” “We have a lot of offensive power, and honestly, I think we could get another seven-goal game. We have it in us,” said Parten. “We have so many threats to the goal. I think it’s going to be a really fun year up there (on the attack).” Anytime a new coaching staff has their debut game, there’s a bit more anticipation. Anytime it ends in a 7-0 win, there’s a bit more excitement. That being said, this is just the first game of the year, and the Hawkeyes play again at home on Saturday. “It’s gone. I’m already thinking about Saturday and Loyola,” said Ward. “It’s nice to get the win, but I think we move on pretty quickly. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves and think we’re prefect at this stage. There’s still loads of things we can get better at.” “Every game is a good way to learn and see what you did well, but there’s always ways you can benefit, whether it’s wins or losses,” said Parten. “We’ll look at it. Great game, great goals, but we’ll move on. Focus on Loyola next.” FINAL STATS Iowa 7 Milwaukee 0 3′ – Goal Iowa Reilly Heman (1-0), 15′ – Goal Iowa Berit Parten (2-0), 37′ – Goal Iowa Berkley Binggeli (3-0), 49′ – Goal Iowa Elle Wildman (4-0), 69′ – Goal Iowa Berit Parten (5-0), 73′ – Goal Iowa Berkley Binggeli (PK) (6-0), 80′ – Goal Iowa Lexy Griffin (7-0) Shots: Iowa 21-3 Shots on Goal: Iowa 13-2 Corners: Iowa 8-1 Fouls: Iowa 9-8 Up Next, the Hawkeyes will host the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers on Saturday for a non-conference matchup at the UI Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm CT on BTN+.