AMES — Coming off a 3-1 defeat against BYU, Iowa State looks on the bright side in the hopes of breaking its Big 12 conference losing streak during Sunday’s game against Kansas State.
Despite the loss against the Cougars, the Cyclones proved their ability to play strong defensively in pressure-filled situations.
Iowa State was able to keep BYU limited at 16 shots on goal and continuously battled throughout the first half, ending the period in a 1-1 draw. Senior midfielder Lauren McConnell put the Cyclones on the board after scoring her first goal of the season, the third goal of her career.
“[McConnell] works so hard and has so much quality,” Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon said. “I think she is in a space where hopefully she can see some more goals before the end of the year.”
After ending the first half on a high note, Iowa State was able to carry its aggressive energy into play during the second half and created a more defensive front, earning three yellow cards in the process. However, the Cougars were able to wear down the defensive front and walked away with a 3-1 win.
“We are not going to hang our hats on the what-ifs,” Fannon said. “We have a team full of women that want to believe, who fight into what we are doing and I think they are just finally getting to a space where they realize they are a lot better than their past results.”
Fannon hopes the loss will not only boost the player’s confidence in gaining points but also carry the momentum into the matchup against the Wildcats on Sunday.
“Everyone of our women know that we have the capability within our squad to win the games,” Fannon said. “The toughest thing for us in the past is dealing with really high-pressure teams and that was BYU. But we were able to play and compete, and BYU didn’t overrun us in areas as they did in the past.”
Kansas State enters the match after a 1-1 draw against the University of Central Florida, ending a five-game losing streak.
Although the game ended in a tie, the Wildcats led the game offensively with a total of 20 shots on goal compared to the Knights 11. Kansas State’s one goal came from senior midfielder Adah Anderson, marking her first goal of the season.
“One of our biggest strengths coming in as a staff is that we have worked very hard to get our players to be smarter at the game and make decisions that will help them,” Fannon said.
The Wildcats are led by sophomore forward Ryann Reynolds, who has scored a total of four goals this season and maintained nine points.
Following closely behind is freshman forward Allison Marshall, who holds a total of two goals this season and six points. Sophomore forward Morgan Struttmann leads the team in assists with three and has one goal.
Leading Iowa State are forwards Magdalena Keck and Morgan Furmaniak, who have a combined total of seven goals, three assists and a secured 17 points.
The Cyclones will meet the Wildcats for the ninth time at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
