The ISU soccer team managed to do something that they have struggled with both early this year and last — win a Sunday game.

The Cyclones beat Nothern Iowa 2-0 by finally putting together a full game on their least favorite day of the week. The win came after the team notched their first win of the season on Friday against DePaul, which they won 3-1.

“We came out very hard in the first half,” said head coach Wendy Dillinger. “That is the kind of intensity I have been waiting to see us play this year.”

That intensity led to 10 first half shots for the Cyclones compared with the Panther’s zero.

“Overall, I thought our first half was great, but we need to finish those looks,” said Dillinger.

Iowa State had three solid shots in the half that did not end up putting a goal on the scoreboard. The first two went off the crossbar, while the third shot, by junior Elise Reid, actually went in but was nullified after the referees signaled time had run out in the first half.

“The whole team thought [Reid] scored,” said senior Leslie Hill. “Apparently the horn sounded, but from [the sideline], we couldn’t hear it.”

Offensively, the Cyclones felt good about their first half intensity, Hill said.

“We were satisfied with the way we came out and played hard, but we have got to finish those opportunities,” said Hill. “At halftime Coach told us not to let up. I think in the first half we went out and played a little careless, just expecting the shots to go in.”

At the start of the second half, the sluggish play usually seen on Sundays started to settle in, as the Panthers kept the ball on the Cyclone half of the field for much of the first 10 minutes.

“Our defense was great today,” said Dillinger. “We switched up things in the backfield, so we wouldn’t give up the quick goal, and all three defenders played fantastic.”

The game remained scoreless until the 75th minute when junior Amanda Nimtz took a great pass from sophomore Jordan Bishop and junior Lauren Odino and put it in the back of the net.

Despite holding the 1-0 lead, the Cyclones found themselves under a constant Panther attack.

“[UNI] was pushing hard at the end, and we matched their intensity, which was great to see,” said Dillinger.

A Panther surge was stopped, and no comeback would occur when Nimtz took a long pass from Hill and split two defenders for her second goal of the game in the 84th minute.

The shutout finished a successful weekend for the Cyclones, but the consistent play was a great sign for the future.

“Sunday’s have always been a struggle for us, and we have been working harder in practice,” said Hill. “Right now, the competition in practice is really paying off. We just need to focus on ourselves, and the wins will come.”

Dillinger saw huge improvements from the team in just one week.

“We watched the Pittsburgh film, and we learned from our mistakes. Coming out like we did their will never get us a win, but today we had more energy and moved the ball really well.”

The Cyclones finished the game with 22 shots compared with the Panther’s five.

With the two wins over the weekend, the Cyclones evened their overall record to 2-2 for the season.

The team will head to South Dakota next weekend for the Jack Rabbit Invitational, where they will play both North Dakota State and South Dakota State.