Spirited Iowa State Effort Falls Short, 2-0

COLLEGE STATION, Texas?After holding seventh-ranked Texas A&M goalless for just over 80 minutes, the Iowa State soccer team's defense finally cracked, and the Cyclones fell to the Aggies 2-0 Sunday at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.

Texas A&M (12-1-1, 5-0-1) had a 13-1 corner-kick advantage that would ultimately prove to be the Cyclones' undoing. At the 80:15 mark, junior midfielder Amber Gnatzig scored her fourth goal of the season after Iowa State (5-8-1, 0-4-1) could not clear the ball off an Aggie corner. Freshman midfielder Beth West doubled the Aggies' lead 1:08 later off an assist from senior midfielder Laura Robinson.

Final Stats

Final Stats

Despite the final score line, the Cyclones' game plan proved effective. Not only was ISU frustrating the Aggie attack but the Cyclones were creating problems for Texas A&M's defense. Iowa State had one of its better opportunities right off the opening whistle. The Cyclones kicked off and strung together five passes that gave senior forward Leslie Hill a good look at goal from the right side of the penalty area. Hill continued to be a menace to the Aggie defense, firing a game-high tying five shots, with two being on goal.

“Leslie is so strong, athletic and quick and used her abilities today,” ISU coach Wendy Dillinger said. “She also held the ball up front for us which we have been stressing a lot in training lately.”

Iowa State's stingy defense forced Texas A&M (12-1-1, 5-0-1) to switch formations at the 26:29 mark, when the Aggies changed to a three-striker attack after starting the match with two. The move provided near-immediate dividends as the Aggies forced the Cyclones to save a ball off the goal line.

The sides went into the break scoreless, with the Aggies holding a 10-7 shot advantage, while having a 6-0 edge on corners.

The second half headed in the same direction as the first. Hill continued to create for the Cyclones in the transition. The Plano, Texas, native took on a host of Aggies at the 71:47 mark, after receiving the ball near midfield, to create one of the Cyclones' better chances. But Hill could not muster a clean shot and Texas A&M goalie Kelly Dyer made the save.

“We played hard and competed with (Texas A&M) all game,” Dillinger said. “We hung right with them and we were dangerous on the counters.”

Dillinger also pointed to her backline and sophomore midfielder Jordan Bishop as playing key roles in the Cyclones' performance.

“Our back four played great the whole game,” Dillinger said. “Jordan Bishop was an all-star all over the field today. She played great offensively and defensively.”

For the second consecutive game Iowa State split time in net. Junior Ann Gleason played the opening 45 minutes in goal and recorded a pair of saves. Sophomore Ashley Costanzo took over in the second half and made four stops.

Iowa State returns to action Oct. 17, when Texas Tech (7-6-1, 2-5-0) comes to Ames for a 7 p.m. match at the ISU Soccer Complex.

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Bishop

Jordan Bishop

Ashley Costanzo

Ashley Costanzo

Ann Gleason

Ann Gleason

Leslie Hill

Leslie Hill

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Iowa State University Athletics