Cyclones to Wrap Road Trip at Cincinnati

AMES, Iowa – The Cyclone soccer program will wrap up a two-game eastward road trip this weekend when it meets Big 12 foe Cincinnati for the first time in school history. Iowa State will face the Bearcats on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. CT and the match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

ISU (3-6-1, 0-2 Big 12) will look to snap a three-game losing streak against Cincinnati, coming off a 1-0 heartbreaker to West Virginia on Thursday. Cincinnati (1-5-3, 0-1-1 Big 12) enters Sunday's showdown, having lost its Big 12 home-opener on Thursday to TCU also by a score of 1-0.

The matchup with the Bearcats will be Iowa State's second time this season meeting a new opponent for the first time in school history. ISU previously faced Portland State and will also face BYU and Houston for the first time ever later this week.

The Matchup: Iowa State (3-6-1, 0-2 Big 12) at Cincinnati (1-5-3, 0-1-1 Big 12)
Where: Gettler Stadium // Cincinnati
When: September 24 – 11 a.m. CT
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Live Stats: cyclones.com

Leading the Cyclones
Iowa State's six losses have come to teams that have combined to win over 70% of their matches this season, as the Cyclones have had a tough schedule to open the 2023 campaign.

Mira Emma leads all Cyclones in goals (4), points (10), shots on goal (13), shots (19) and assists (2). The fifth-year senior captain notched her second career brace in the team's outing against Portland State.

Fellow seniors Salomé Prat and Abigail Miller also have more than one score on the year, as each has two. Leia Khairy, Kristin Boos and Lauren Hernandez each have one goal to round out the Cyclone scorers.

Goalkeeper Avery Gillahan is the lone Cyclone to have played all 900 possible minutes this season. Gillahan recorded her second career shutout against Portland State and tied her career best in saves at West Virginia, stifling nine shots.

Scouting Cincinnati
Cincinnati has struggled to score this season, as the Bearcats are averaging under a goal a game through nine matches. Cincy has played two ranked opponents – No. 17 Michigan State and No. 22 Pittsburgh – dropping both.

Cincinnati is led on offense by Megan Smith, who has a trio of scores on the season as well as an assist to pace the Cincy attack with a team-high seven points. Laura Zemberyova is second on the team in goals with two while a pair of other Bearcats each has a score.

Anna Rexford has started each match in the net for Cincinnati and has collected 34 saves. That gives her the third most saves in the conference. Rexford is averaging just about four saves a match for the Bearcats.

From the Notebook

The Cyclones have lost just one match under Coach Fannon when scoring at least two goals. Two seems to be the magic number for the offense.
Iowa State leads the Big 12 in shot accuracy, placing 57% of its attempts on goal. That's good enough for the 24th-highest ranking in the country.
Three Big 12 programs are ranked in the Coaches Poll this week, as BYU is No. 6, Texas is ranked 14th and Texas Tech is 25th.
Senior Mira Emma ranks in the top ten in ISU history in points, goals, game-winning goals and assists.
After program legend Jordan Silkowitz was drafted into the NWSL, a new face took the net for the Cyclones this past week, as Avery Gillahan handled goalkeeping responsibilities. Through eight matches, Gillahan has a pair of shutouts and 19 saves.
- Gillahan earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on August 23rd for her performances during the first week of the season.

Series History
The Cyclones and Bearcats will be meeting for the first time in both program's history.

Up Next
Following its two-game road trip, Iowa State will return to the Cyclone Soccer Complex to host the Houston Cougars on September 28 at 6 p.m. Next Thursday's match is Pups at the Pitch, so make sure to register beforehand. Thursday's action will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Kristin Boos

Mira Emma

Avery Gillahan

Lauren Hernandez

Leia Khairy

Abigail Miller

Salomé Prat

Jordan Silkowitz

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