The Iowa State soccer team opened the 2021 season on Thursday evening with a 2-0 win over UC-Santa Barbara at Theodore Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California.

The Cyclones controlled the pace and possession of the match from the opening whistle, and scored their first goal in the 17th minute on a header by freshman midfielder Lauren McConnell for her debut collegiate goal. Senior defender Brooke Miller also made her debut assist on the play, crossing the ball outside the penalty box that McConnell headed past Gauchos goalkeeper Evann Smith.

Iowa State doubled its lead just before halftime, as junior midfielder Mira Emma started the play by chipping the ball in from the outside the area. Freshman Anna Lindgren latched onto the ball and rolled it past Smith to give the Cyclones a 2-0 lead into the break.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cora Anderson kept a clean sheet in her Cyclone debut, finishing the match with two saves compared four from Smith. Iowa State’s attacking style also appeared in the end-of-match box score, as they finished with eight shots compared to UCSB’s six. The Cyclones were also the more physical team, drawing a couple of yellow cards in the second half through Lindgren and junior midfielder Eva Steckelberg.

Iowa State will wrap up their West Coast trip on Sunday with a match against California State, Northridge at 1 pm CST.