Cyclones Fall Short Against No. 15 Colorado

Thursday, September 17

Ames, Iowa

6 p.m.

Iowa State

4-3-2, 0-1-0

Colorado

7-1-1, 1-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Colorado	1	0	1
Iowa St.	0	0	0

Photo by: Iowa State Athletics

Cyclones Fall Short Against No. 15 Colorado

09.17.2026 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State's (4-3-2, 0-1 Big 12) upset bid of No. 15 Colorado (7-1-1, 1-0 Big 12) fell short Thursday evening in the Big 12 opener, as ISU dropped a physical 1-0 bout to the Buffaloes.

The Cyclone defense stifled the prolific, league-leading Buffalo offense, limiting Colorado to just one score. ISU turned away every CU attempt in the first half before a foul call on the edge of the box resulted in a Colorado penalty kick. Reagan Kotschau snuck one just past the outstretched arm of Eme McClenahan to give the Buffs a game-winner.

Three Cyclones had a pair of shots as Morgan Goodman, Cassidy Corcione and Izzy Kapanke led the way for ISU. Three of ISU's eight total shots came on target, with Goodman, Corcione and Kapanke accounting for them. Both Maia Soulis and Danica Lunceford played the full 90 minutes while McClenahan did the same from the net, collecting six saves.

Colorado's attack was spearheaded by Kotschau, as the team captain registered a game-high five shots, placing three on goal. 2025 Big 12 Forward of the Year Hope Leyba had three shots of her own, placing one on target. Brooke Goerish collected the clean sheet for Colorado, snatching three saves in the win.

Colorado held the shots advantage, 13-8, as well as the edge in corner kicks, 4-0. ISU collected more saves, 6-3, but was called for more fouls, 14-11.

How it Happened
Colorado was on the attack early, launching three attempts in the first 10 minutes. ISU's backline handled all three, blocking a pair while the third sailed wide.

Morgan Goodman had a pair of looks midway through the opening stanza, only to see her first attempt saved and her second go off target. Colorado responded with four shots in quick succession, firing all four in a three-minute span just to see them all saved by McClenahan.

After ISU held possession for five minutes, the ball made its way back into the CU attacking third at the 40-minute mark. A Makenna Marshall foul on the edge of the box resulted in a CU penalty kick, which Kotschau promptly buried to put No. 15 Colorado on top.

ISU saw itself outshot 9-3 at the break, also trailing in corner kick opportunities, 1-0. The Cyclones had four saves, all in that three-minute span, to Colorado's one.

The Cyclones recorded five shots in the second half, with the best opportunities coming in the 85^th minute. Corcione sent a rocket from outside the box toward the net, only to have Goerish just get a hand on it to knock off the crossbar. The rebound found Sophie Forester in front of the net, but a wide shot ended the threat as ISU fell to its first ranked opponent of the season, 1-0.

Goals
Iowa State: N/A
Colorado: Reagan Kotschau – 40:16 (6)

Assists
Iowa State: N/A
Colorado: N/A

Next Up
Iowa State will head to Houston next Thursday, September 24, to take on the Cougars. It will be ISU's first time playing UH in Space City. Next Thursday's contest is set to kick off at 7 pm and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.