Iowa State women’s soccer secured the opening contest of the CyHawk series Thursday night, netting a 2-1 victory over the Hawkeyes, with Jada Colbert scoring the two goals in the Cyclone victory.

Head coach Matt Fannon wanted to see his team play more creatively and aggressively after the 4-0 loss against Kentucky, and he got what he wanted Thursday night.

When asked if he saw his team making aggressive movements and decisions, coach Fannon said, “In abundance, certainly in the first half.”

“It’s difficult to keep the mindset of being on the front foot, getting after it and taking risks,” Fannon said of his team staying aggressive.

Thursday night was the first regular season home game for the Cyclones. With the in-state rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in town, a crowd of over 1,600 people gathered at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

The home-field energy the fans brought was something the Cyclones had not yet experienced during this regular season.

“I’m not sure I’ve got the words,” Fannon said of the home crowd. “It was such a major difference, you can feel the energy from the crowd, you can feel what they bring. I would love to see it every game. I think if we keep performing this way it gives the fans something to want to come back and watch.”

As a developing team, it is important to win games and face adversity at the same time. Iowa scored with less than six minutes remaining to make it a one-goal game, and Iowa State needed to hang on to secure the victory.

“We fought and we made good decisions, we had composure and we went and got the job done.”

When talking about the adversity the team faced in the last six minutes, Fannon said, “I’m really happy that it happened as we’re developing and learning we’re in a place where we need to deal with that.”

The Cyclones will play their next game at 1 p.m match Sunday in Ames against the South Dakota Coyotes.