Going into the final game of the season mathematically eliminated from Big 12 Tournament contention, the ISU soccer team is looking for positive signs before they close the book on coach Wendy Dillinger’s first year.

The returning of 10 consistent starters and the goalkeeping duo of Ann Gleason and Ashley Costanzo are assets heading into the offseason, but there were many holes in this year’s squad.

Success early in the season against non-conference opponents translated to zero wins in the Big 12, and late season defeats to the bottom teams of the conference didn’t help out postseason chances.

In their nine Big 12 conference games, the Cyclones are ninth place out of 11 in shots on goal, tenth in goals and tenth in points. Four goals in nine conference matchups wouldn’t bode well for any team, but for a young team that found its motivation in game-changing moments, there weren’t many great moments to be had.

In a dubious statistic on the defensive side of the ball, Iowa State leads the Big 12 in saves per game, forcing the goalies to physically stop an average of 7.89 shots per game.

Youth returning

While struggling with the conference competition and getting wins late in the year, top-scoring senior Leslie Hill is the only full-time Cyclone starter the team is losing for next year.

The rest of the starting roles will see more time out on the pitch next year, and with five freshmen accumulating 52 starts this season, game experience shouldn’t be lacking as it was this season.

Cyclone forwards and point leaders Amanda Nimtz and Elise Reid will both be returning for their senior seasons, as well as record-setting goalkeeper Ann Gleason.

Cowgirls shooting

No. 9 Oklahoma State’s 7-0 beatdown of the Cyclones in Stillwater last Friday was the largest blowout of the Big 12 schedule this season.

Texas A&M had beat two other Big 12 conference opponents 5-0, but the seven-goal difference in the Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State game was the largest of the year. The Cyclones allowed 70 shots total in the two game run against Colorado and OSU, 37 and 33 respectively.

Oklahoma State’s only loss on the year was a 2-1 defeat at the hand of Texas A&M.

Big school bullies

The Cyclones followed an interesting trend this season, seemingly playing along tight enrollment lines. Colorado, with an enrollment of 24,484 undergraduate students, was the only team all season from which Iowa State got a point that had an undergraduate enrollment of over 20,000.

Every other win or tie was against schools with smaller undergraduate enrollments, including early season wins against Drake, 3,917 undergraduate students, and North Dakota State, 11,061 undergraduate students.

South Dakota State, 9,208 undergraduate students, was the only smaller school able to top the Cyclones this season.