On paper, Sunday’s match-up between Iowa State (4-9-1) and Texas (9-3-2) could have been anything but an exciting match for the Cyclones, but it played out differently.
Iowa State struck quickly in the sixth minute when Mira Emma scored her fifth goal of the season, assisted by Salomé Prat.
For the rest of the first half, the game was back-and-forth with scoring chances for both teams. However, near the end of the half, the Longhorns found the net in the 41st minute with a goal by Lauren Lapomarda.
The Longhorns capitalized off a penalty kick following an Iowa State foul. Lexi Missimo put it in the back of the net to give Texas a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute, which ended up being the game-winner.
With the 2-1 loss, the Cyclones fall to 4-10-1 on the season.
Offense shows bright spots
The Iowa State offense showed some good signs of life in the previous matchup with Baylor. Despite the loss, the Cyclones scored two goals, which was a great step in the right direction.
Right off the bat against Texas, the offense showed up again. In the sixth minute, Emma became the first player to find the net and give Iowa State a lead early on. The rest of the half saw the Cyclones got multiple scoring chances as they tallied five shots and controlled just over half of the total possession.
Things started to slow down for the Cyclones in the second half. Iowa State was unable to find the net for a second goal but finished the match with eight shots and four corner kicks. The Cyclones had plenty of chances to score but could not get anything into the net.
Goalkeeper play shows up big
Iowa State goalkeeper Avery Gillahan has been a superstar so far this season for the Cyclones. Gillahan has constantly shown up big and made crazy saves to keep the Cyclones in games, and Sunday’s match was the same.
Texas put up six shots in the first half with two being on goal. Gillahan got one save in the first half but had a much bigger impact than what was on the stat sheet. Texas put Gillahan and the rest of the Cyclone defense under constant pressure, and Gillahan broke up multiple passes and scoring chances to keep the game tied going into the break.
In the second half, the story was the same. Gillahan was under constant pressure. In the 70th minute, Texas had three scoring chances to take the lead, but Gillahan came up with a massive defensive stand to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Gillahan gave up one more goal late in the game off of a penalty kick. The penalty put Gillahan in a tough position and gave Texas the lead.
On the day, Gillahan faced 15 shots and came up with two huge saves to keep the game close and within reach for the Cyclones.
Iowa State’s big two show up yet again
Emma and Prat have shown up game after game for the Cyclones. Emma had four goals coming into the matchup, and Prat had six; the rest of the team has scored six goals total this season.
In the sixth minute, Prat and Emma showed up again to assist each other in scoring Iowa State’s lone goal.
Late in the second half, Prat pressured the Texas defense but could not put one home. The Cyclones will likely need some of their other players to step up in the remaining games as they look to make a push for the Big 12 Tournament.
The Cyclones are back in action Thursday when they host the Kansas Jayhawks.
