Iowa soccer opened up conference competition last week, looking to build on the best start in school history. The Hawks faced stout competition but came out unscathed.

Let's take a closer look.

#18 Iowa soccer (7-0-3) battled #17 Ohio State (7-1-2) to a 1-1 draw on Thursday and followed it up with a 2-1 win over Illinois (4-4-2) to push their unbeaten streak to ten games.

The Buckeyes drew first blood on Thursday evening in Columbus, stunning the Hawks with an eighth-minute goal. The teams were evenly matched through most of the half, but Iowa increased the pressure in the second half. The Hawks controlled possession and looked primed to find the equalizer, eventually breaking through in the 67th minute when Maya Hansen found the back of the net.

Ohio State threatened a late winner, but Macy Enneking came up with two huge saves to preserve the draw.

Against Illinois, the Hawkeyes were far more in control. Although the opening half was played to a scoreless draw, Iowa outshot the Illini 5-2 and earned three corners to Illinois' one. In the second half, the Hawks turned the opportunities into goals.

Freshman Berit Parten opened the scoring in the 60th minute and Millie Greer added an insurance goal later in the half. Illinois put away a late goal to add some tension, but the Hawks were able to see out the road victory.

Earning points on the road is always tough and the Hawkeyes must be pleased with their performances last week. Outside of a slow start against Ohio State the Hawks looked like the best team on the pitch throughout both games.

Iowa is now 7-0 this year when they score multiple goals, a testament to their defensive prowess and Enneking's ability in net. She's now just five wins away from the Iowa career record. Parten has carried over her non-conference scoring into Big Ten play without a hitch and Iowa continues to dominate in opportunities and possession in most games.

There's no let-up for the Hawkeyes, as they'll welcome #9 Penn State (8-2-1) to Iowa City for a ranked matchup on Thursday (7:00, BTN+)

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Iowa field hockey (4-2) suffered a tough loss last week, falling 5-0 to #1 Northwestern (7-0). The Wildcats were ferocious in their press defense and dominated possession for much of the game. Iowa's defense held out as long as they could, but Northwestern broke through in the second quarter and never looked back.

Mia Magnotta saved a career-high ten shots, but the Cats peppered Iowa with 23 in the match and earned nine penalty corners compared to Iowa's two.

The matchup was always going to be a tough one for the Hawkeyes, who are starting multiple underclassmen while Northwestern's roster includes Olympians and All-Americans. The Hawkeye defense did all it could and Iowa did generate a few counter-attacking opportunities, but the experience gap between the two teams was evident Friday afternoon. Northwestern looked far and away like the best team in the country and a victory on the road against the Wildcats was always a longshot.

Hopefully, the match can be a learning experience for the Hawkeyes as they continue through Big Ten play. Iowa fell to #7 in this week's poll but will have a chance to bounce back quickly. They'll travel to Rutgers this week (8/27, 12:00, BTN) as they look to earn their first conference victory.

Iowa volleyball won one of three matches over the weekend, beating South Dakota 3-2 before falling 3-1 to both St. Louis and Drake.

The Hawks came out hot on Thursday against South Dakota, taking the first two sets 25-22 and 25-20. Iowa dug itself an early hole in set one, but quickly erased the gap and held off the Coyotes and in set two a late service run from Olivia Lombardi gave Iowa the win. Close losses in sets three and four led to a deciding fifth set, where Iowa pulled away early and never looked back, claiming the set 15-7 and the match 3-2. Dominique Phillips set a career-high in kills with 18 in the match and Hannah Whittingstall tied her career-best with seven blocks.

Friday and Saturday's matches proved tougher for the Hawks. Against St. Louis, Iowa claimed the opening set 25-20, but couldn't earn another set win, eventually falling 3-1. All four sets were close, but when it got to crunch time, the Hawkeyes couldn't find the right combination to put points away. Malu Garcia set a career-high with 17 kills and Jenna Meitzler earned 41 assists in the match.

Against the Bulldogs, Iowa dropped both of the first two sets 25-20. A third-set win extended the match, but Drake took the fourth set 25-20 to claim the match. Whittingstall set two more career-highs in the match with 17 kills and 10 blocks.

The Hawkeyes are still looking for a go-to option on offense and searching for that while working in a new setter is proving difficult. Starting setter Claire Ammeraal was walking gingerly throughout the tournament and looks likely to be out for an extended period. Meitzler performed admirably, but building chemistry with a new setter takes time and is a tough blow to a team that is still working to find its identity.

The Hawkeyes will open up conference play on Thursday when they take on Rutgers (6:00, BTN)

The Iowa men's golf team finished third (+6) at the Purdue Fall Invite over the weekend. Noah Kent led the way for the Hawkeyes, finishing 13th (E) in the event. Gage Messingham and Max Tjoa each tied for 24th. It's the second straight tournament that the Hawks have seen three golfers finish inside the top 25.

Kent tied a tournament-best, shooting 6-under on par fives over his three rounds.