The Iowa State soccer team will cap off its two-game road stint against South Dakota State on Sunday, and the opposing high-powered offense will offer the biggest test so far for the Cyclones.
To start the season, Iowa State has relied upon its tight-knit defense to make up for offensive droughts and keep them in games. Before losing to Iowa 2-1 on Thursday, the Cyclones had outscored their prior two opponents 3-1 with two of those goals being scored in the second half.
Redshirt freshman Avery Gillahan has been the only player between the posts for the Cyclones, and while she has shown promise in her first three collegiate matches, she will have a tall task at hand against the Jackrabbits.
The Cyclones’ lone goal in their loss against the Hawkeyes also came in the second half, and Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon believes the team can learn a lot from their first loss of the season.
“The problem was that it was only the last quarter of the game that we really started to impose ourselves,” Fannon said.
All four of Iowa State’s goals have come from four different players, and the Cyclones have yet to see someone step up as a true leader of the offense.
Senior Mira Emma finished last season with the second most goals on the team (three) and is one of the four players to already see one go into the net this year. If anyone has a shot at being the difference maker for the Cyclones, it’s their veteran midfielder, who has started all three games this season.
South Dakota State remains undefeated through its first three games and has outscored its opponents 12-1 including six unanswered goals against Augustana. Senior forward Maya Hansen leads the Jackrabbits with four goals and one assist.
Junior Jocelyn Tanner and freshman Emma Knack have each played 135 minutes as South Dakota State’s goalkeepers. Tanner tallied a save in each of the Jackrabbit’s first three games and has yet to allow a ball past her.
Iowa State’s match against South Dakota State is set to start at 1 p.m. Sunday and will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Cyclones lead the all-time series 7-3-2 and won the last meeting in 2018, 2-0.
