CEDAR FALLS — ISU wrestling fans breathed a sigh of relief when senior Zach Roberson won 16-6 against Northern Iowa’s Patrick Garcia in the final match of Saturday’s meet to lift the Cyclones to a 19-16 victory.

“I felt good; I haven’t wrestled last this year,” Roberson said. “I was well hydrated, and I felt really good — I felt really strong.”

After losing 22-21 to the Panthers just one week ago, Iowa State pulled into Cedar Falls looking to settle the score.

“This win was huge for us, we needed to win,” Cyclone head coach Bobby Douglas said.

“To go to National Duals and come away 0-2 is difficult on morale, but the team is making great progress with our injuries, and as our injuries improve so will we.”

Injuries continue to be a problem for the Cyclones this season, but the team was able to walk away with a win regardless, thanks to a few well-placed wins by Iowa State throughout the meet.

Junior Nick Passolano won at 165 pounds by picking up the meet’s only pin, and sophomore Nate Gallick started the meet with a win at 141 pounds. Roberson said Gallick’s win was a great morale booster for the whole team.

Panther head coach Brad Penrith agreed.

“The key match was Gallick — he wrestled a great match. He’s a hard-nosed kid,” Penrith said.

The Cyclones won the meet’s key matches but entered the final match down 16-15. The final score could have gone either way.

“We won a couple of them, and we lost some too; it was just a dogfight out there,” Roberson said.

The fact the teams were so evenly matched made the meet very exciting for the fans but nerve-racking for the team, Douglas said.

“It was made to order, this meet could’ve gone either way,” Douglas said. “Hats off to Northern Iowa.”

Despite his Panthers losing, Penrith said the match was exciting.

“This was the most exciting match I’ve been involved in on the losing side,” Penrith said.

“Hopefully Bobby [Douglas] can say the same thing from the winning side.”

The Cyclones now set their eyes on their next opponents, the Oklahoma Sooners. Iowa State and Oklahoma will square off Friday in Norman, Okla.