When looking at the match between the 4-10-1 Iowa State Cyclones and the 3-6-6 Kansas Jayhawks, the game might not sound that intriguing, but the game was full of action and great plays.

In the first half of the match, the teams went into the locker room tied with no score from either side. Iowa State goalkeeper Avery Gillahan had many highlight plays with her six great saves to keep the Jayhawks scoreless. Right before the half, Kansas goalkeeper Melania Pasar made an amazing diving save to keep the Cyclones off the board.

The second half was much of the same. The match was a defensive struggle, with both teams getting good scoring chances. The match’s lone goal came at the 54-minute mark when Iowa State’s Sophia Thomas scored her first goal of the season which gave the Cyclones the lead. The Cyclones were able to shut out the Jayhawks, giving them a 1-0 victory and moving the Cyclones to 5-10-1 on the season.

Jayhawks’ first-half domination

Although the 0-0 score at the end of the first half might look like it was an even half, that was far from the truth.

The Jayhawks had control for the majority of the first half and outshot the Cyclones 14-5, with seven shots on goal compared to Iowa State’s three. Kansas also had eight corner kicks compared to the Cyclones’ one. Kansas had the ball on Iowa State’s side for most of the first 45 minutes. Gillahan had to make six great saves to keep the Jayhawks scoreless.

Gillahan is great once again

Iowa State’s goalkeeper has played amazingly all season, and she continued to show up big for the Cyclones in Thursday’s match.

Gillahan shut out the Kansas Jayhawks offense despite facing 22 shots with nine shots on goal. Gillahan tallied eight saves on the night and propelled the Cyclones to the victory.

Gillahan will need to continue to play great to help the Cyclones make a push for the Big 12 Tournament.

Fouls under control

So far this season, it has been no secret that the Cyclones have struggled with fouling too much, and in a couple of games, the fouling issue has cost them pivotal goals.

Thursday was a big step in the right direction as the Cyclones only committed seven fouls on the night compared to Kansas’ 13. The difference in fouls helped Iowa State keep the ball in critical times to help them secure the win.

The Cyclones are back in action when they travel to play Kansas State at 1 p.m. Sunday