Nine shots were not enough to produce a goal for the ISU soccer team.

Iowa State came up short Sunday against Minnesota, losing 1-0. Despite the score, chances were abundant for both squads.

The nine shots the Cyclones were able to get off were three less than the Golden Gophers produced. While Iowa State only put three of its nine shots on goal, Minnesota was able to put six of its 12 shots on net.

ISU coach Wendy Dillinger said the lack of offensive production against the Golden Gophers came down to one thing: luck.

“I just think we need a little luck,” Dillinger said. “We had chances where we were in the right spot at the right time, but we just didn’t put it away.”

The lone goal came in the first half after a Minnesota corner kick deflected off an ISU defender and slipped past the reach of goalkeeper Maddie Jobe. Despite the setback, the defense remained poised as it thwarted off the Golden Gophers attack throughout the second half.

“Defensively, I thought we did really well. We were matching up perfectly, but it was just an unfortunate goal,” said midfielder Alyssa Williamson. “I love the girls that we are working with. We’re working well together, understanding each other’s tendencies with shifting and moving as a group.

“We’re being steady with our job. We know as long as they are getting chances and we aren’t letting them get the ball in the net, we have a chance at least. If they don’t score, we can’t lose.”

Iowa State was also plagued by the whistle and the flags. Forward Jennifer Dominguez was given a yellow card in the 80th minute, just 30 minutes after defender Kourtney Camy was given two yellow cards within a minute, resulting in a red card and automatic ejection.

Aside from fouls, Iowa State was also caught offside five times during the match, several of which came in the second half while the team was down 1-0.

“We started to see more [offsides] in the second half. We were trying to get that goal back, and we were looking to get in behind them, but there was a tough space behind them, so we started to get a little impatient,” Dillinger said. “Our forwards just need to do a little better job timing their runs, and that was the game plan later in the game.”

The Cyclones will attempt to reverse their fortune and get back on the winning side Friday when they play in-state rival Iowa in Iowa City.