Iowa Soccer Preview: Forwards/Midfielders

Under Coach Dave DiIanni, the Iowa Soccer program has built its reputation on defense—a consistent strength throughout his tenure. Goal scoring, however, has been more elusive, with the Hawkeyes surpassing 2.00 goals per game in just two of the last 14 seasons. That being said, year-by-year, the talent level on the roster has risen, giving Iowa a better chance of becoming a legitimate threat on both ends of the pitch.

Prior to last season, Dilanni said he felt like he had a team that was a bigger threat and more capable of scoring goals than in year’s past. The Hawkeyes scored 38 goals, their best mark since the ’19 season, and ranked 83rd in goals per game (1.73), an improvement from the year prior when they ranked 96th in the country. The Hawkeyes finished with a 15-3-4 record, hosted an NCAA Tournament game and made their first ever trip to the Round of 16.

“I think we’re deeper and better in the attack (that last year),” said Dilanni. “I think we’re a little unsure about the defensive midfield position until somebody proves it, but we have some depth and options. The good news is I think we’re pretty deep at the attacking positions.”

Forwards

Projected Starters: Meike Ingles (GSr), Berit Parten (Soph), Elle Wildman (Fr) OR Liana Tarasco (Fr)

Names to Watch: Olivia Lebdaoui (GSr), Kelli McGroarty (GSr), Shae Doherty (Sr), Morgan Lietz (Sr)

The Hawkeyes return their top three goal scorers from last season, led by sixth-year senior Meike Ingles, who is back after tallying seven goals and five assists last season. Over 46 career games, Ingles is averaging 0.80 points per match, including 15 goals, but the birth of her daughter and other injury troubles caused her to play in just nine games over the course of three seasons. After a healthy and successful ’24 season, Coach Dilanni says Meike is playing her best soccer in fall camp.

“This is the best Meike has every looked coming into the preseason,” said Dilanni. “Things have settled down for her with having a baby, being a mother and she got to graduate, so she’s the best she’s ever been. She’s in a great place.”

Aside from a player or two, expect to see the Hawkeyes pretty positionless, with some players rotating between the attacking midfield and forward position. Ingles is one of those players, likely seeing time, both as a wing midfielder and further up the field as a forward.

“Meike will probably play out on the right side, but everybody else (around her) will move into a lot of different spaces.”

Going from a veteran to a youngster, sophomore Berit Parten tied for the team lead in goals last season, totaling seven goals and three assists, while she led the team in attempted shots (52). An All-Big Ten Freshmen Team selection and Team Newcomer of the Year, Parten made an immediate impact on the Hawkeyes front line. Her season highlight was a two goal performance in a shutout win over a ranked Wake Forest squad.

“She can score with her left, she can score with her right and she’s constantly looking to shoot and put something on frame. She has the green light from us,” said Dilanni. “I think Berit’s got a chance to be somebody who’s a Big Ten Player of the Year type kid (during her career).”

Last season, Berit Parten was the freshman that burst onto the scene and made a big impact for the Hawkeyes. This season, Coach Dave Dilanni has three first-year players capable of appearing in the starting lineup, including Elle Wildman and Liana Tarasco who will spend their time in the midfield/forward area of the field.

“Elle Wildman is a 5-foot-9 athlete and can run. She was Player of the Year in Minnesota and I think she’ll be our next youth national team kid…I think (Tarasco and Wildman) could both start.”

Wildman, a freshman from Woodbury, Minnesota, was a four-time all-conference selection at East Ridge High School and was nominee for Gatorade Player of the Year. She finished her high school career with 39 goals and 40 assists, while she recorded a goal in the Hawkeyes exhibition draw with Kansas.

As for Tarasco, the Montreal, Canada native was four-time Female Athlete of the Year at Lester B. Pearson High School. A u20 Canadian National Team player, Liana helped Canada win the 2025 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. She appeared in all five matches, averaging 49.2 minutes per game, including tallying two goals and two assists.

“Liana is somebody we haven’t had in our program for a while. Somebody who’s really smart and creative and really good with passing and slipping people in.”

“Wildman is a very good player and so is Tarasco, but they’re freshmen, so we need players who have played good minutes to be able to lead the way until they sort it out.”

Another player in the discussion for a spot in the starting lineup, but one that will have a large role either way, Florida State transfer Olivia Lebdaoui is someone that the coaching staff is excited about. Ledbadaoui spent three years with the Seminoles program, totaling 282 minutes as a junior, tallying two goals and two assists, including a goal against Samford in the NCAA Tournament.

“She’s a lot like Liana Tarasco. Just a special soccer player; two-footed, smart and came from Florida State,” said Dillani. “Olivia can play out wide to give Meike Ingles a break, she can play in the midfield. She’s somebody who I think will score a lot of goals and she has two years of eligibility, so we’re really excited about that.”

Other names to know include, grad senior Kelli McGroarty and senior Shae Doherty. A former LaSalle transfer, McGroarty is in her third year with the Hawkeyes. She has totaled 21 career goals, including seven goals and four assists during the ’24 season, but appeared in just two games last season due to some health setbacks.

Midfielders

Projected Starters: Sofia Bush (Jr), Kenzie Roling (GSr), Iba Oching (Soph), Josie Jones (Fr) OR Abby Skiff (Jr) OR Eileen Solomon (GSr) OR Kellen Fife (Sr)

Names to Watch: Berkley Binggeli (Soph), Caleigh Collard (Soph)

In the midfield, the Hawkeyes return two of four starters from last season and while they do lose four of their top six in terms of minutes played, they do return five of their top nine. A couple of transfers, Iba Oching (Syracuse) and Eileen Solomon (Boston U) join the group, as does freshman Josie Jones from Waukee.

Attacking Midfielders

One of the more underrated players on the roster, junior Sofia Bush has started 37 of 44 games since she arrived at Iowa, averaging 75.8 minutes per game. Last season, Bush started all 22 games, totaling five goals, four assists and 1,748 minutes played. Although she doesn’t play as far up the field as a forward, Sofia is a threat to score from her midfield position. Dave Dilanni says the next step is getting her to have a more aggressive mindset.

“Somebody who cam from Linn-Mar. No one knew about her and she’s developed. She’s a kid who just wants to get better, wants to improve and I’d love for her to play with more confidence and be a bit more assertive,” said Dilanni. “She’s a very reactionary kid, a player who reacts off of the game, but I’d like her to be a bit more aggressive and have confidence. She’s a very good player.”

Alongside Bush in the attacking midfield, grad senior Kenzie Roling will likely be one of those moving parts, playing both midfield and forward this season. A multi-year starter for the Hawkeyes, Roling has appeared in 66 career games, with 54 starts, while totaling ten goals and ten assists. Last season, Roling was not 100%, dealing with a couple of bumps, but finished with a career-high five assists.

The Bush/Roling duo is the most experienced pairings on the pitch, combining for 91 starts and 7,824 minutes played during their time at Iowa..

Other names to know include sophomores Berkley Binggeli and Caleigh Collard. Both players saw some time as freshman last season, with Binggeli totaling 283 minutes, while Collard appeared in just seven games, but averaged 22.3 minutes per game in those seven matches.

Defensive Midfielders

The defensive midfield is where the biggest changes are happening this year, as Maggie Johnston and Rielee Fetty both graduated after last season. Those two combined to appear in 175 games, with 158 starts and 12,994 minutes played.

“Couple of young kids, couple old kids, but that’s such an important position for us and has been in the past with players like Maggie Johnston and Rielee Fetty.”

The coaching staff went into the transfer portal to help fill the defensive midfield and Syracuse transfer Iba Oching is set to be a starter, with the versatility to play out wide, as a defensive midfielder or on the back line. As a true freshman last season, Oching made 16 starts for the Orange, totaling 1,460 minutes played, including playing all 90 minutes in 15 games. She also played alongside Liana Tarasco at the 2025 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championships for Team Canada, averaging 94.3 minutes played over four games at the tournament.

“Iba has a unique quality because she is also with a the u20 national team in Canada, so she’s played in big games in different parts of the country, parts of the world, so she brings more than just the ACC experience,” said Dilanni. “Iba will be farther up, she’ll be more of a wing back, wide forward.”

As for the deepest midfield position, there’s plenty of depth, but plenty to figure out, including who will be in the starting lineup. Junior Abby Skiff and senior Kellen Fife are the veterans on the roster, combining for 74 appearances and 14 starts, but both played limited minutes last season.

The veterans, Skiff and Fife, are battling with a true freshman and a transfer for minutes. Out of Waukee, Iowa, Josie Jones has impressed since her arrival on campus and has pushed herself into the conversation for starting minutes. A three-time all-conference selection and an all-state performer at Waukee Northwest, Dave Dilanni says they have at least one player that surprises every year in fall camp.

“Josie Jones is surprising us. There’s always somebody that surprises us,” said Dilanni. “Just a Waukee kid who came in and is learning to play with a bit of bravery and physicality, and she’s doing the job. If she starts, she’s going to start over an upperclassman, so we’ve got to be sure about that, but there’s a chance she does start.”

The other name to know is Boston University transfer Eileen Solomon. A three-year starter for the Terriers, Solomon appeared in 61 games, with 43 starts at BU, but played in just six games last season due to injury. She has plenty of experience, totaling 4,163 career minutes, but the transition from the Patriot League to the Big Ten will be an adjustment.

“There’s a big jump from Boston U, playing in the Patriot League to playing in the Big Ten, but she’s a smart player,” said Dilanni. “She’ll play at the bottom of the box. The deeper part of the midfield will be Abby Skiff, Josie Jones, Eileen Solomon and Kellen Fife all kind of battling it out for that space.”

Outlook

There’s a lot to unpack with the forwards and midfielders, but the Hawkeyes have a mix of Iowa experience, transfer experience and talented freshman that will fill out the rotation. It will be interesting to see how Coach Dave Dilanni and the rest of the staff handle the attacking half of the field and what type of mixing and matching they try to do. There’s a ton of experience with the Bush/Roling duo in the midfield, but there are questions with the graduation of Maggie Johnston and Rielee Fetty. The good news is that the back line has enough strength and depth to slide Iba Oching in to help in the midfield, while they have plenty of options at the deep defensive midfield position. If the coaching staff can find a true starter at that spot, it will be hard to point out a clear weakness on any part of the field.