ISU Falls Short Against No. 7 TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas – A three-goal first half was too much to overcome Sunday afternoon, as Iowa State (4-5-2, 1-4-0 Big 12) fell to the seventh-ranked team in the country, TCU (10-2-0, 4-1-0 Big 12), by a score of 3-1.

A depleted Cyclone roster, which featured just seven reserves, was unable to rally over TCU on a hot Texas afternoon. The Horned Frogs scored a pair of goals within a minute of each other to go up 2-0 just nine minutes into the contest. A third score late in the first stanza made the halftime score 3-0. ISU scored its only goal midway through the second half off a corner kick.

Sophie Forrester scored her second goal as a Cyclone, to lead all ISU players in points with two. Ella Ciardullo picked up the assist off the service, her second of the season. Isabella Agrusso joined Forrester as the only Cyclone with shots, as her solo attempt came in the first half. Kasey Cannistraro picked up a save, while Musuai Isaia collected a pair, both coming in the second half.

For the Frogs, three players were tied for a game-high in shots with two. AJ Hennessey, Seven Castain and Cameron Patton collected goals, while four different Frogs were credited with assists. In goal, Kira Ybarra allowed one goal with no saves.

The TCU defense limited ISU to just a pair of shots on the day, as the Frogs held the shot advantage, 12-2. ISU had three saves to TCU's zero while both teams had a pair of corner kicks.

How it Happened
TCU hunted its shots early, attempting a pair in the first four minutes of the contest. In the eighth minute, TCU broke through, as Hennessey scored off a Kamdyn Fuller deed. Just 46 seconds later, TCU scored again, this time off the foot of Patton, to go up 2-0.

Iowa State's only shot of the first half came from Agrusso, who saw her attempt get blocked in the 17th minute of action.

The Horned Frogs continue to possess the ball throughout the first stanza, breaking through again in the 32nd minute. The Frogs' leading goal-scorer, Seven Castain, punched one in to make it 3-0. At the break, down three, ISU was being outshot 9-1.

The Cyclone defense buoyed up in the second half, as it limited TCU to just three shots. ISU made its only shot of the second half count, converting off a corner set piece.

With Ciardullo launching the ball into play, Forrester positioned herself back post and headed it past Ybarra to put the Cyclones on the board in the 70th minute of action.

The Frogs would essentially play keep-away the remainder of the match as they held on to win, 3-1.

Fannon's Thoughts
"We knew we would have some tough conditions today, and we didn't quite do enough in the first half to compete. Once we came out in the second and really fought and committed to the game plan, we were significantly better and deserved to win the half."

Goals
Iowa State: Sophie Forrester – 69:56 (2)
TCU: AJ Hennessey – 7:31 (3), Cameron Patton – 8:17 (2), Seven Castain – 31:19 (10)

Assists
Iowa State: Ella Ciardullo (2)
TCU: Kamdyn Fuller (5), AJ Hennessey (4), Quinn Cornog (1), Kaela Martinez (1)

Up Next
The Cyclones will be back in action this coming Friday, Oct. 10, when they return to Ames to host Kansas. Iowa State and KU will kick off at 6 pm and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Team Stats

Sophie Forrester

Ella Ciardullo

Isabella Agrusso

Players Mentioned

Isabella Agrusso

Kasey Cannistraro

Ella Ciardullo

Sophie Forrester

Musuai Isaia

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics