ISU Falls Short Against No. 21 Colorado

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State's upset bid of No. 21 Colorado came up short on Sunday afternoon, as the Cyclones fell to the Buffaloes 1-0 in the first meeting as renewed Big 12 foes.

ISU (3-5-2, 1-1 Big 12) played a tough, physical match, holding off a flurry of advances before a late goal broke a 0-0 stalemate. Colorado (9-1, 3-0 Big 12) won its eighth-straight match, as its constant pressure eventually broke through.

Avery Gillahan had another big day for the Cyclones, as the Strongsville, Ohio, native posted nine saves. Gillahan kept a CU squad that averaged over two goals a game to just one. Seulgi Lee led the team with three shots, while Ella Zimmerman, Lauren Hernandez and Adelaide Wolfe played the full 90 minutes in the field.

Both Jace Holley and Juliauna Hayward had four shots for the Buffs, tying for a game-high. Emerson Layne had the game's lone score, as she used a ball played by both Laura Gouvin and Mallory Allen to punch in a game-winning goal.

The Buffaloes held a 24-4 shot advantage and posted 11 shots on goal to ISU's zero. The Cyclones had ten saves, with Gillahan claiming nine and Isabella Agrusso registering a team save.

How it Happened
Both teams went at it in the first half. The Buffs were the aggressor out of the gates, ripping off two quick shots in succession in the fifth minute, but both were turned away by Gillahan.

The Buffaloes had five shots through the first five minutes of action and finished with 18 first half shots. Though CU held a hefty shot advantage and were often the aggressors, the score still stood at 0-0 at the break.

Colorado came out of the halftime break again on the hunt to break the stalemate, rattling off four shots in the first 13 minutes of second-half play.

The Cyclones had a great opportunity in the 73 minute out of a free kick set piece just outside of the box. Ella Zimmerman took a shot from there and blasted one just past the upper left corner of the net, just missing a goal that would break the 0-0 tie.

The following run for the Buffaloes stemming from that goal kick off Zimmerman's miss resulted in a goal for the Buffs. Mallory Allen fed a ball to Laura Gouvin who then played it to Emerson Layne who promptly snuck it past Gillahan to give No. 21 Colorado the lead.

The Cyclones had a few more good opportunities following the CU goal, but a pair of shots from Seulgi Lee were both off-target and ISU would go on to fall to the Buffaloes 1-0.

Fannon's Thoughts
"It was a really even matchup. We really put our foot down in the second half and had a lot more of the game. That's soccer, right? There are moments on top, and there are moments you're behind. There were moments we were both those things today. The biggest thing is our women fought through it today."

Goals
Iowa State: N/A
Colorado: Emerson Layne – 74' (1)

Assists
Iowa State: N/A
Colorado: Laura Gouvin (2), Mallory Allen (1)

Up Next
After having played five of their last six matches in Ames, the Cyclones will take to the road, as they're set to spend a week in Utah. Iowa State will next be in action this Thursday, September 26, against conference newcomer Utah in the teams' first-ever meeting. Thursday's match will kick off at 8 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Team Stats

Seulgi Lee

Ella Zimmerman

Players Mentioned

Isabella Agrusso

Avery Gillahan

Lauren Hernandez

Seulgi Lee

Adelaide Wolfe

Ella Zimmerman

Players Mentioned

Isabella Agrusso

Avery Gillahan

Lauren Hernandez

Seulgi Lee

Adelaide Wolfe

Ella Zimmerman

Sponsors

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