Iowa State Battles No. 15 Colorado in Big 12 Opener
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State went toe-to-toe with a national contender on Thursday night, but a single moment on the edge of the box decided everything.
No. 15 Colorado escaped the Big 12 opener with a 1-0 win, surviving a rugged, defensive battle in which the Cyclones’ upset bid never quite died until the final whistle.
One whistle, one kick, one goal
For 40 minutes, Iowa State’s back line smothered the Big 12’s most prolific attack.
Colorado came out flying, ripping three shots in the opening 10 minutes. The Cyclone defense met all of them – two blocked, one drifting wide – as Iowa State settled into the game and refused to be bullied by the rankings next to Colorado’s name.
Morgan Goodman then gave ISU its first real spark. Midway through the first half, she carved out a pair of chances, forcing a save on the first and pushing the second off target. It was enough to jolt the crowd and remind Colorado this wouldn’t be a routine conference opener.
That warning shot woke up the Buffaloes.
They unleashed four attempts in a furious three-minute spell, only to be denied each time by goalkeeper Eme McClenahan, who read everything and turned the goalmouth into her territory. Every save tightened the mood and raised the stakes.
Then came the turning point.
With the clock ticking past 40 minutes, the ball swung back into Colorado’s attacking third. A foul by Makenna Marshall right on the edge of the box handed the Buffaloes a penalty. Team captain Reagan Kotschau stepped up, stared down McClenahan and slid her shot just beyond the keeper’s outstretched arm at 40:16.
One clean strike. One ruthless punishment. One goal that would hold up as the winner.
Cyclones’ resistance, Buffaloes’ edge
The halftime numbers told the story of pressure and resilience. Colorado led 9-3 in shots and 1-0 in corners, but Iowa State’s defense had absorbed wave after wave, with McClenahan making four saves in that first-half onslaught alone.
Kotschau set the tone all night for Colorado, finishing with a game-high five shots and three on frame. She wasn’t alone in attack. 2025 Big 12 Forward of the Year Hope Leyba fired three shots of her own, testing the Cyclone back line and stretching the field whenever she could.
Iowa State refused to crack.
McClenahan went the full 90, stacking up six saves. In front of her, Maia Soulis and Danica Lunceford also played every minute, anchoring a group that held the Buffaloes – the league’s leading offense – to just one goal from the spot.
Colorado still finished with the advantage in the key attacking categories: 13-8 in shots, 4-0 in corners. Iowa State, forced to absorb more of the pressure, ended with more saves (6-3) and more fouls (14-11) in a match that never strayed far from physical.
Late drama, no breakthrough
The second half belonged to the chase.
Down a goal, Iowa State pushed higher and began to find more space. The Cyclones generated five shots after the break, slowly turning a defensive stand into a genuine search for an equalizer.
Goodman, Cassidy Corcione and Izzy Kapanke each finished with two shots, and all three put one on target. They were the heartbeat of ISU’s attacking efforts, probing for that one clean look that might undo the penalty.
The best chance came agonizingly late.
In the 85th minute, Corcione stepped into a strike from outside the box and hammered a rocket toward the upper frame. Colorado keeper Brooke Goerish reacted just in time, getting a touch to deflect the ball onto the crossbar.
The rebound dropped invitingly to Sophie Forester in front of goal. For a split second, it looked like the moment Iowa State had been chasing all night. Her shot, though, flashed wide, and with it went the Cyclones’ last clear lifeline.
Goerish finished with three saves and a clean sheet, the kind of quiet, efficient performance that wins tight conference games on the road.
Iowa State walks away with a loss to its first ranked opponent of the season, but also with proof it can suffocate an elite offense and still create danger late. The question now is simple: can the Cyclones turn this kind of resistance into results as the Big 12 grind deepens?
