AMES — Iowa State played a difficult game Thursday against Michigan. With a mixture of tough defensive plays and unlucky calls, the Cyclones managed to hold their composure and remain confident during the 2-2 tie.

Throughout the game, Michigan had 18 shot attempts to Iowa State’s four. The accuracy of the Cyclones’ shots helped them stay competitive.

“We knew they were going to be a really good team and we knew to expect that was going to be a really tight match,” Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon said. “There was no surprise by what Michigan did tonight, they played really well and we knew that they would.”

The game started slowly, but towards the end of the first half, Cyclones midfielder Sophia Thomas put Iowa State on the board at 38:11 with her first goal of the season. This set the Cyclones up to close out the first half with the lead. 

“We studied a lot of their film and we knew we were going to put our forwards up against them,” Thomas said. “So we knew exactly what we were going to do, we just didn’t execute it as well.”

During the second period, Michigan came in hard with Jenna Lang scoring a goal in the eighth minute. However, the Wolverines did not let the Cyclones rest and snapped back even harder with their defense. 

In the remaining second half, senior forward Morgan Furmaniak was able to swiftly maneuver against Michigan’s determined defense, scoring her fourth goal of the season. 

“Leading the team in goals feels good,” Furmaniak said. “I knew Michigan’s defense was going to be big and strong but that was nothing new to me, I knew I could take that and I knew coming out of the gate that there might be some double teams and challenges aerially but having my teammates around me and lifting me up made me feel more confident.” 

As Iowa State was ready to take the lead back, the Wolverines were quick to set themselves up with a goal. Midfielder Abby Zugay scored a goal at 81:41 in the second half, which ultimately ended the game in a 2-2 tie. 

“We just need to learn from these moments,” Fannon said. “It’s a step forward for us and I think we all want more and all want everything all the time but our team is moving in the right direction.”

The Cyclones will put this tough game behind them and continue using their strong offensive skills to try and win Sunday’s game against Northern Colorado.