The Cyclone soccer team won a second straight match with a pair of goals from Salomé Prat making the difference in the 2-1 victory on the road against Kansas State.
The afternoon started differently than the Cyclones would have liked as in the seventh minute of the game, Kansas State’s Jo Sees scored to put the Wildcats up 1-0. The Cyclones responded in the 35th minute when Salomé Prat scored her sixth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 before the break.
After the break, Prat got her second goal of the match in the 57th minute, which was the game-winner. Here are the three big takeaways from the Cyclones’ first conference victory on the road this season.
Prat Shines
Prat has been a superstar offensively all season for Iowa State and Sunday’s match was no different.
Prat led the charge in the Cyclones’ 2-1 victory by scoring both Cyclone goals. After starting off slow as a team, Prat found the net at the 35-minute mark to tie the match before the half, her sixth of the season.
Then in the second half, Prat scored at the 57-minute mark to gain the lead and the Cyclones never looked back.
Avery Gillahan continues great play
Alongside Prat, Iowa State has another player who keeps showing up big in its redshirt freshman goalkeeper Gillahan.
Last game against Kansas, Gillahan shut out the Jayhawks, and against the Wildcats, she played outstanding yet again.
After allowing one early goal in the seventh minute, Gillahan was lights out. She faced 17 shots against Kansas State and made six saves to help the Cyclones hang on to the victory.
Season on the line
Coming into Sunday’s match with only five wins on the season, the Cyclones knew they would have an uphill battle to try to make the Big 12 Tournament, and this win on the road got them one step closer to that goal.
The Cyclones knew coming into this game it was a must-win, and that is exactly what they did as the offense stepped up just enough, and the defense locked down the Wildcats in the second half. Iowa State will need a few things to go in their favor to qualify for the conference tournament but with a matchup against No. 6 ranked Texas Tech up next, it will not come easy.
The Cyclones will be back in action for their final regular season match of the season, at 7 p.m. Oct. 23, when they host the Red Raiders.
