Scouting LSU, can the Hawkeyes make it back to the Sweet Sixteen?

On Thursday afternoon, the tournament run for the Iowa Soccer team will continue. A program that used to dream of the NCAA Tournament has slowly turned themselves into a program that makes it with regularity. After advancing to their first ever Sweet Sixteen last season, Iowa is trying to get back there for a second consecutive year.

The Hawkeyes earned the right to host for the third consecutive season, defeating the Summit League champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1-0 last Friday at the UI Soccer Complex. Senior Kenzie Roling scored the lone goal in the 3rd minute, while goalkeeper Fernanda Mayrink saved an SDSU penalty kick in the 50th minute.

With the win, Iowa joins some elite company, as one of just 11 teams to advance to the Round of 32 in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments. Head coach Dave Dilanni and his team are focused on what’s next, but it’s a reminder of how far this program has come over the past decade.

“You invest in the process, you invest every day and every season, and you try to do the best you can,” said Dilanni. “For me, it was a bit of a reminder, in a positive way, that we’ve been pretty consistent with that process. All the credit goes to the players that have been in the program…A cool reminder that we’ve done a pretty good job of trying to push our program into the upper echelon of some of the elite in the country.”

A night worth watching twice 🎥 pic.twitter.com/6rtB8eFIEF

— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) November 17, 2025

While three straight Round of 32 appearances is a big-time accomplishment, the Hawkeyes have their sights set on trying to start another notable streak. Back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances. To do that, they’ll have to go through the 4th-seeded LSU Tigers (14-5-4) on Thursday night at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex in Nashville.

Although the Tigers were just 1-5-3 against opponents in the field during the regular season, they have caught fire over the last two months. Their last loss came on September 21st and since then, LSU is 8-0-3, including defeating Auburn, #14 Tennessee and Mississippi State en route the SEC Tournament Championship Game, where they fell to #8 Vanderbilt in a penalty shootout. LSU hosted Southland champion Houston Christian in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating the Huskies 4-1, including a pair of goals from forward Sariyah Bailey.

“I think they’re probably feeling pretty good. They’re one of the hottest teams in the country right now,” said Dilanni. “They finished strong in conference play, and they ran through the tournament. We know what that looks like, because we’ve done that (in previous years).”

Goal scoring is what LSU does best. They rank 1st in the SEC and 22nd in the country, averaging 2.17 goals per game. Forward Ava Galligan leads the way with ten goals scored, but forward Sariyah Bailey and midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir each have scored nine goals apiece. The Hawkeyes have faced two top 25 goal scoring offenses this season, defeating Michigan State (5-3) and falling to TCU (3-2). It is interesting to note that the Tigers are 107th in shots per game (13.83) and 202nd in corner kicks per game (4.35).

“LSU can make a case for best attacking players in that conference. They have some very athletic attacking options in their front four. Their two wide players are incredibly athletic, and their nine (striker) and ten (attacking mid) are very good with the ball. They want the ball and bring everybody else into the game. They’re also pretty old in those positions,” said Dilanni. ” It’s important for us to get it right defensively and make sure we have coverage and layers for that group.”

When it comes to postseason play, prior experience against teams with similar attributes can be helpful. While no team that Iowa has faced this season is the exact same as they will face with LSU, Coach Dilanni says there are bits and parts that compare to opponents they’ve faced.

“LSU has some similarities to Arkansas with the front four that they have. They like to pass the ball and get in certain spaces, similar to TCU, so they’re kind of like a hybrid (of those teams),” said Dilanni. “They come alive up front athletically, like Arkansas does, but they pass it a little bit more and little bit more methodical, like a TCU or even a team like Michigan State.”

On the defensive end, the Tigers rank 91st in goals allowed per game (1.033), while there are no official rankings, they are giving up 11.3 shots and 5.4 corner kicks per game. They’ve allowed one goal or less in 17 of 23 games, including six shutouts. The group is led by two-time All-SEC defender Sydney Cheesman who is fourth on the team, averaging 78.77 minutes per game.

“They’re attacking presence with the front four offensively, they’re that way defensively, so if you can break the first four press, then you have options,” said Dilanni. “We had a good practice yesterday and today with that. We’ve just got to be composed to be able to break pressure and break their front line. I think you’ll see a bit more Berit Parten on the field, along with Sofia Bush, Elle Wildman and Kenzie Roling. Players that are really comfortable with the ball at their feet and players that can take advantage of space in transition.”

In goal, the Iowa coaching staff expects Icelandic keeper Audur Scheving (5-2-3) to get the start. She’s made 11 starts this season, posting a 0.82 goals against average, including saving 34-of-43 (79.1%) shots faced. If it isn’t Scheving, it would be senior Sophine Kevorkian (9-3-1). Although LSU has fared better with her in goal, she has a 1.23 goals against average and has saved 38-of-53 (71.7%) shots faced. The two each played 45 minutes apiece against Houston Christian.

In the end, Coach Dilanni broke it down into three phases for the Hawkeyes to win the game. Make LSU work to get the ball, capitalize on chances in the box and limit transition chances for the Tigers. If they do all of those things, the coaching staff feels like they will be the ones to advance.

“When we have the ball, we need to make them work to get it back. We cannot turn the ball over quickly in transition because then that means we’re going to be in transition. We’re going to be running a lot, and there’s certain spaces where they’re more athletic than us, so we need to make them work and once you make them work, they stop recovering, stop working as a group.”

“When we get opportunities in the box, and we will get opportunities, we need to finish them. When we are at our best, it’s when we’re pretty clinical in the box and we’re taking advantage of the chance we create. Lastly, we have to be good in transition, and we have to control their front four.”

The Second Round NCAA Tournament match between the Hawkeyes and Tigers is set for Thursday afternoon at 4:00pm CT on ESPN+. If Iowa wins, they will face the winner of #1 Vanderbilt and #8 Clemson on Sunday in Nashville.