In a defensive battle, the ISU women’s soccer team held the Texas offense in check but couldn’t come up with enough offense of its own as it dropped a key midseason Big 12 matchup, 1-0.

The Longhorns had outscored their opponents 13-1 in their last three contests and were ready to rack up more on an ISU team that has lost six of its last eight games.

The loss moves the Cyclones to 4-8-3 overall this season, with a 1-5-1 mark in the Big 12.

Iowa State kept things tight throughout, allowing the only goal of the contest in the 39th minute.

Freshman Nikki Thaden, a Clive native, scored unassisted late in the first half to give Texas a lead it would never relinquish.

“Texas has extremely strong forwards, and the strength of their game is in their attack,” ISU head coach Rebecca Hornbacher said. “We did a good job of containing them.”

Texas certainly had its chances to add to the lead. The Longhorns outshot the Cyclones 17-7, with 11 of those shots coming in the first half.

“We knew coming in that they were a strong team, and we came out ready for it,” senior Cyclone goalkeeper Beth Chapman said.

The solid defensive performance allowed Iowa State to stay in the game.

“I think we played tremendously against this team,” junior defender Erin Weldon said. “We battled the whole game and just couldn’t get it in the back of the net. Defensively, we definitely competed against that team.

“We were very organized, not just on defense but all the way through. Everyone knew their individual responsibilities. We did very well all over the field.”

Both teams had multiple chances to score in the second half. Kristina Baumann and Arlene Samuel had two shots apiece in the second half as Iowa State came close to tying the game on several occasions.

“We might get only a couple of chances against a solid team like Texas and we have to cash in on those chances,” Hornbacher said.

“Our team right now is pretty beaten up. We’re fighting through a lot of injuries right now. Texas is a very strong team and we played some good soccer.”

The Cyclones were also in action on Friday, taking on No. 4 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The Aggies scored twice in the first half, claiming a 2-0 victory over Iowa State.

The Aggies outshot Iowa State 26-2 on their way to the win. The two Cyclone shots were the lowest number of shots this season by the team, and the second time the Cyclone offense had attempted five or fewer shots in a contest this season.