AMES – Iowa State displayed strong defensive capabilities against No. 21 Colorado but was unable to come away with a win, falling 1-0.
Coming off a no-contest matchup against Central Florida, the Cyclones welcomed the Buffaloes to Ames, Iowa, for the first time since 2008.
In the first half, Iowa State looked to come in strong defensively by adding redshirt sophomore Jordyn Herrera to the starting lineup as Iowa State hoped to maintain an aggressive start.
Despite being able to put up a strong front against Colorado, the Cyclones were found lacking on the offensive side as they ended the first half with one shot on goal by senior midfielder Seulgi Lee, whereas the Buffaloes ended with 18.
Compared to previous games, this was the strongest first half the Cyclones have had. Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon expressed his pride for his players’ performance in the first half.
“I think the big thing is that our women fought through it,” Fannon said. “When you are out on the back foot, when you’re dealing with a lot of balls in the box, you got to go and win them and I think in the first half. We did a great job with that.”
Compared to the lack of offensive plays, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Avery Gillahan was able to maintain a self-assertive front in the goal with a total of eight saves-on-goal and kept the scoreboard at a 0-0 draw to end the first half.
Coming into the second half, the Cyclones were given minimal chances offensively to score goals and maintain possession of the ball. Although the offense struggled, the defense was still undeniably strong, as they kept Colorado on their toes.
“Colorado has proven that they are brilliant in their movement around the penalty area,” Fannon said. “They have a couple of center forwards that are strong, powerful, and excellent in the area and have scored a lot of goals this season. But in almost every moment, we took care of that, and that’s the game of it, as Colorado did a good job taking care of our forwards as well.”
The stalemate ended in the 73rd minute of action when Colorado midfielder Emerson Layne scored her first goal of the season on an assist from midfielders Mallory Allen and Laura Gouvin.
When continuing to battle in the second half, Iowa State was able to flourish more offensively, having a well-improved three shots on goal, two of which were Lee’s and one by redshirt sophomore Ella Zimmerman.
Even with missed opportunities for goals, the Cyclones were still able to protect their side of the field. Zimmerman contributed well to the Iowa State defense, as she played for all 90 minutes and secured possession of the ball countless times.
Although without a goal in the second half, the Cyclones were able to maintain a guarded front throughout the matchup, ending the game at 1-0.
“There are always going to be games like this in the Big 12,” Fannon said. “They are always going to be this tight. They are always going to be a fight and a battle.”
