Iowa Women’s Soccer – It’s a New Season With a New Head Coach

There’s something quietly brewing in Iowa City, and it might be happening right under your nose.

The Hawkeyes soccer program has enjoyed the most successful multi-year stretch in its history in the last three years. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years in a row (2023 – 2025) for the first time in program history. In 2023 they won the Big Ten tournament title. In 2024 they advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever. And in 2025 the Hawkeyes reached a milestone by climbing to No. 5 in the national rankings, marking the highest rank in program history.

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Dean Ward joins Iowa for the 2026 season as the new head coach, after 12-year head coach Dave DiIanni departed Iowa to take the head coaching job at Michigan. Dean is originally from Birmingham, England. As is common in the UK, Ward grew up immersed in soccer, as his father was a coach and he played competitively until his early 20s. Ward brings nearly two decades of collegiate coaching experience to Iowa. Most recently Dean was at Xavier, where they were Big East Runners-Up the last two seasons, and won the Big East Tournament last year. During his two-year stint at Xavier, Ward compiled an impressive 31-9-6 record.

While prior coach Dilanni’s teams were known for their defensive identity, Ward favors an aggressive, attacking philosophy where the style of play is more fluid and players are empowered to be creative. The Iowa players have described Ward’s leadership style as highly collaborative and transparent. The transition has been described by the returning players as “seamless” and have called out that his calm demeanor on the sidelines has helped instill confidence.

Typically, a coaching change triggers a mass exodus into the NCAA transfer portal. However, the Hawkeyes have demonstrated incredible team unity. The core player leadership gathered immediately after DiIanni’s departure and made a collective pact to stay. Defender Lexy Griffin said, “We all just banded together in the locker room saying we’re here for each other, we’re here to play for each other. We’re not necessarily here for a coach; we’re here for the school.” 17 key players from the 2025 roster chose to stay in Iowa City rather than transfer (the maximum roster limit for an NCAA Division 1 college soccer program is a hard cap of 28 players).

Iowa has returning star power for 2026, highlighted by second-team All-Big Ten midfielder Sofia Bush and star forward Berit Parten (who is back fully healthy after being limited by injuries in 2025). Veterans Millie Greer, Lucia Englund, and Sara Batchadji return to anchor a defense that allowed only 23 goals the prior year. A watch item for this year’s team is the goalkeeper, as last year’s phenomenal keeper has graduated. Thus far, freshman keeper Braelynn Galt has earned the start in all four of Iowa’s games, and to date has only allowed three goals.

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Iowa is off to a good start, going 3-1 overall, with their one loss to #11 Wake Forest in an early season away game. Next up is Iowa State in Ames on Thursday, August 27, then back home vs. Kansas State on Thursday, September 3 at 7:00 pm, and vs. Missouri State Sunday, September 6 at 1:00 pm. They open their Big Ten schedule on September 10 at Minnesota. If afternoon games better suit your schedule, they routinely play games on Sundays at 1:00 in Iowa City, and you can find their full schedule on the Iowa Athletics website (hawkeyesports.com).

Games are free, as in FREE. And no, that is not a typo. If you wish you can bring a lawn chair or blanket and sit on the grassy knoll instead of in the stadium. The concession stand & restrooms are open during games at the adjacent Iowa field hockey stadium. The University of Iowa Soccer Complex is located at 2665 Prairie Meadow Drive with free parking adjacent to the stadium.

Women’s sports has seen explosive growth in the last six years. Many fans began to tune in to Iowa women’s basketball for the first time when Caitlin Clark came on the scene. Megan Gustafson’s jersey hangs from the rafters, and sadly many never came to see her play in person. If you haven’t been tracking Iowa soccer, don’t let this be a missed opportunity. I’ll be back with more articles as the season progresses.