BALTIMORE, MD. — Iowa State Cyclone soccer needed only 20 seconds to answer an early Loyola Maryland goal Thursday night, then spent the rest of the match searching for a winner before settling for a 1-1 draw in its final non-conference contest of the season.
Sophie Forrester scored for Iowa State in the fifth minute as the Cyclones finished their non-conference schedule with a 4-2-2 record.
Loyola Maryland moved to 0-1-6.
The Cyclones controlled much of the match statistically, outshooting the Greyhounds 18-9 and holding a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The result followed Iowa State’s 2-0 shutout victory over Missouri State, which had given the Cyclones their fifth clean sheet through seven matches.
Two goals in 20 seconds
Thursday’s scoring came almost immediately.
Loyola’s Savannah Manset fired home the match’s first shot from outside the box at the 4:05 mark, giving the Greyhounds a quick 1-0 advantage.
Iowa State hardly had time to process the deficit.
The Cyclones controlled the ensuing kickoff, and Makenna Marshall worked the ball to Forrester, who found the back of the net at 4:25 to even the match 1-1.
Just 20 seconds separated the two goals.
Forrester’s goal was her second of the season, moving her into a tie with Megan Walters and Alaina Villa for the Iowa State team lead.
Marshall picked up her second assist of the season.
Cyclones turn up pressure after halftime
After the frantic opening minutes, the scoring disappeared.
Iowa State held a 6-4 advantage in shots at halftime before becoming much more aggressive during the second half.
The Cyclones unleashed 12 shots after halftime compared with five for Loyola.
Five Iowa State attempts reached the goal during the second half, but Loyola goalkeeper Hannah Goetzer stopped every one of them.
Goetzer finished the match with six saves.
Cassidy Corcione and Alaina Villa led Iowa State with four shots apiece.
Maia Soulis and Erin Hopewell each played the entire 90 minutes for the Cyclones, while goalkeeper Eme McClenahan made two saves.
Iowa State coach Matt Fannon said the Cyclones were generally pleased with the performance despite being unable to find the deciding goal.
“Overall, we played pretty well tonight,” Fannon said. “You could see that we were just a half step off, which is to be expected after our 10-hour travel day yesterday.”
Cyclones have recovered from Cy-Hawk setback
Iowa State’s season has featured several dominant defensive performances along with a few difficult nights.
The Cyclones hammered Northern Iowa 5-0 in Ames, scoring five times after entering the match on a three-game scoreless stretch.
That victory came shortly after Iowa handed Iowa State a 2-0 defeat in the Cy-Hawk soccer showdown.
Since then, the Cyclones have steadied themselves, shutting out Missouri State before earning Thursday’s road draw.
Iowa State has now completed the non-conference portion of its schedule and will turn its attention to the Big 12.
Colorado visits Ames for Big 12 opener
The Cyclones return home Thursday, September 17, to open conference play against Colorado at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM in Ames.
The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.