The back-to-back Big Ten champion Spartans entered the halftime break up a goal on the eight-seeded Hawkeyes but allowed a pair of early second-half goals to fall down 2-1, a deficit that would end up being too much for MSU to overcome. 

"Their (Iowa) intensity was really hard for us to match. From the opening whistle, they were the more physical and aggressive team," head coach Jeff Hosler said. "They did such a great job getting to the first balls and getting into a good position to collect the second balls. They won way more tackles than we did and those are the little things that don't show up in the stat sheet.”

Following the disappointing, early exit, MSU awaits its seeding announcement for the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m.

Last year, the Spartans – who won the conference – hosted a first-round tournament game, besting Milwaukee 3-2 before being knocked out by TCU in the subsequent round.