Iowa State is set to continue its final stretch of the season on the road against Cincinnati at noon Sunday. It is the penultimate match of the season for the Cyclones, who were eliminated from Big 12 tournament contention Thursday.
The Cyclones are 4-8-3 this season and 1-7-1 in Big 12 play. After a promising start to the season, they opened their conference schedule with a win over Arizona. Since then, the team has been unable to find success and has lost seven of its last eight. The outlier was a tie with Arizona State on Oct. 19.
The next two games for Iowa State, against Cincinnati and Kansas State, have big stakes for the team, even without the Big 12 title in play. Last season, the Cyclones won their first conference game and were not able to secure another victory for the remainder of the season. If Iowa State is unable to best either team, the same will be true for this season.
The Big 12 is a tough soccer conference this year. Iowa State has faced three ranked opponents in conference play up to this point. It’s a deep conference, and has presented the Cyclones with challenges as the season has gone on. Cincinnati and Kansas State fall around the same tier as Iowa State has this year. They’ve struggled to find their footing in such a high-level conference.
Sunday’s match has the makings of a competitive affair. Cincinnati is 4-7-6 this season and 2-5-2 in the Big 12. In their most recent outing, the Bearcats got a 1-0 win over Oklahoma State. Their other conference win came over Arizona on October 5th.
Both squads played Arizona State, who beat Cincinnati 1-0 and tied Iowa State 1-1. Kansas beat both Iowa State 3-1 and Cincinnati 1-0.
Freshman Megan Walters, senior Taylor Spitzer and sophomore Morgan Goodman are all tied for the lead in points for Iowa State with seven. It has been a balanced attack this year for the Cyclones, with many players sharing the load offensively when needed.
Redshirt sophomore goaltender Kasey Cannistraro has been solid for the Cyclones in her first season, taking the reins as the team’s main goaltender. She has logged 64 saves and has a .736 save percentage.
The Bearcats have scored 12 goals this season, compared to Iowa State’s 18. It’s likely to be a low-scoring affair, as both teams have had stronger defenses than offenses.
This is only the third time the Cyclones and the Bearcats have ever faced off. Their first meeting was in 2023, and Cincinnati won 1-0. Last year, the match was a 1-1 draw.
The Cyclones have been trending upwards over the past few weeks. The tie against Arizona broke a six game losing streak, and although they lost to West Virginia, they played an extremely tight game against a very talented squad. In the first half, Iowa State nearly scored multiple times on shots that nearly missed the net or required tough saves.
If they are able to keep improving, Sunday’s match could be the best opportunity they have had to secure a win since early in Big 12 play.
The match will take place at noon Sunday at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
