Opening Big 12 conference play Friday, the Iowa State Cyclones women’s soccer team had their biggest defeat of the season after playing No.13 West Virginia Mountaineers.

The match ended 4-0. The first half of the game looked positive for the Cyclones, but the second half was a different story. 

Finishing chances 

A reoccurring theme with the Cyclones this season has been not being able to capitalize on the chances they create. While the Cyclones are capable of attacking on the offensive side, there have been many opportunities in recent games that the team has not been able to finish.

The Cyclones had a total of three shots on goal, each coming in the first half. 

Freshman Lauren McConnell had a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper. McConnell tried beating the goalkeeper at her near post when the ball hit off the woodwork. Junior Claudia Najera had a shot on goal saved at the bottom right corner. Freshman Morina Suter-Doerig had a clear-cut chance which she couldn’t get on the end of. 

Three great opportunities arose in the first half, but the Cyclones couldn’t carry that momentum into the second half to find the back of the net.

Head coach Matt Fannon talked about the missed opportunities after the game.

“We could’ve been up 2-0 in the first half and didn’t take our chances, so we were disappointed to go down at the half,” Fannon said.

Inconsistency 

Fannon has mentioned inconsistency as an issue prior to the match and that the team still has some progress to make in that department. 

The Cyclones created some quality chances in the first half and looked like they were in the game despite going 1-0 before the half. The second half saw a different team as the Cyclones conceded three goals and lost the bit of momentum they had.

While West Virginia is a top team both in the Big 12 and nationally, the Cyclones were able to keep up and fight with the Mountaineers for quite some time. The inconsistencies in the second half are what hurt the Cyclones in this match and what has hurt them in previous matches.

Fannon mentioned that in the second half, the team played poorly but insisted that they will learn from this loss. 

“Unfortunately, in the second half we were as poor as I’ve seen us and [we] just weren’t up for the battle,” Fannon said. “We are very young, so we will learn and get better.”

The Cyclones failed to register a shot on target in the second half and were not at their best. Despite not playing their best soccer in the second half, the Cyclones are adamant about learning from this loss.

The Cyclones will have an opportunity to bounce back from this loss next week as they are set to face Oklahoma State at home. The Cyclones’ record now stands at 3-6, and the team hopes to improve that record heading into next week.