The ISU women’s soccer team approached Saturday’s Best of Iowa competition trying to fight through the fatigue caused by lack of substitutions, but Drake never flinched.

On a blustery afternoon at the ISU Soccer Complex, the Bulldogs prevailed in the tournament’s championship game, winning 1-0 over the Cyclones.

ISU goalkeeper Joanna Haig made four saves in the game but failed to stop Danielle Oswald’s penalty kick at 39:55. Erin Weldon was whistled for an illegal slide tackle in the goalie’s box, setting up the free kick.

Oswald kept the ball grounded on the shot, inching it past the diving Haig’s outstretched arms.

Haig said Iowa State, which kicked against the wind for the first half, had difficulty adjusting to the wind at its back in the second. The Cyclones were outshot 5-0 in the first half and 3-2 in the second.

“It was hard to adjust when we were with the wind, because we hit it too hard, and it went into their keeper,” Haig said.

Despite the tournament being an exhibition, forward Amy Flores said the team was upset with the loss.

She attributed the team’s struggles to a recent outbreak of injuries. In the game against Drake, Iowa State had only one sub for the entire game — Weldon.

“We’ve got to take this game in stride,” Flores said. “Luckily, we get to play them in the fall, and it will be a different story then, hopefully.”

The Cyclones appeared physically drained toward the end of the second half. Balls were going unchased and uncharacteristic fouls were being called on players who have normally been well disciplined on the field.

Coach Rebecca Hornbacher said even though the first-place game come down to a penalty shot, the team should have taken advantage of the chances it had throughout the game. Despite leaving opportunities untapped, she said Iowa State started the spring on a positive note.

“I think the team showed a lot of character,” Hornbacher said. “They fought through it, and sometimes those are the lessons that we have to take to get better as a team.”

Flores said the team can learn from the loss, and it needs to focus on the positives of the weekend.

“The bottom line is we didn’t get the job done today,” she said. “We have to train that much harder.”

Kate Kirwan netted Iowa State’s only goal of the tournament, slipping the ball past Iowa’s Lindsey Boldt with just over nine minutes left in the first game. Renee de St. Aubin was credited with the assist. Haig had two saves in the shutout victory.