To say it had been a while since Iowa State soccer won a Big 12 conference game would be an understatement.

Freshman Olivia Edwards got a header past the Baylor goaltender in the 104th minute to give the Cyclones their first conference victory since Oct. 25 of 2018. It took the form of a 2-1 victory in double overtime.

The game started with the Cyclones giving up lots of possession time to Baylor. The first five minutes featured very few Cyclone chances, but that changed when Kenady Adams snuck a ball past Jennifer Wandt with almost 14 minutes gone.

The Lady Bears started to take control in the second half. Every few minutes seemingly featured a Jordan Silkowitz save. It all came to a head when Chloe Japic was able to break the shutout with 11 minutes to go.

As the two teams headed to overtime, the shots favored Baylor 21-9, with eight of them going on net.

With about three minutes gone in the second overtime, sophomore Mira Emma got a corner on net and Edwards headed it into the net for her first goal as a Cyclone.

Head Coach Matt Fannon was surely very aware of how long it had been since the team was able to win a game in general, much less a conference game. 

“I’m really really happy for our women because they’ve deserved it,” Fannon said. “They worked hard and they earned it.”

With so many factors playing into only being promised nine games, a 0-3 hole is a deep one to climb out of, especially with their two prior opponents, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, already starting 2-0. It was imperative that if the Cyclones are going to be even relatively competitive this season, they win a game against an unranked opponent.

With Fannon, as well as his assistants, presenting the school with an almost entirely new coaching staff, the team knew from the beginning that things were going to change, and be done differently. 

“There’s definitely been a change with this whole new season, and it’s really important to get past a turning point and know that we can win,” Adams said.

The last time the Cyclones won in the Big 12, October of 2018, the team looked very different. The coaching staff was still being led by Tony Minatta and the game then ended 1-0, with the only goal being scored by then-senior Emily Steil. 

The team looks much different since then, and even though most of them probably don’t remember that game very well, they certainly know how long it’s been since they were on the winning side.

The team looks to continue their momentum into Fort Worth, Texas, when they play TCU on Oct. 2.