AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (3-5-1, 0-1 Big 12) fell to Oklahoma State (7-2, 1-0 Big 12) by a score of 4-1 on Thursday evening at the Cyclone Soccer Complex.

Despite posting its most shots in a single game all season and outshooting the Cowgirls with shots on goal alone, Iowa State was unable to convert many attempts into points as Oklahoma State took the Big 12 Opener.

The Cowgirls struck early, as Logan Heasler converted off a pretty feed from Laudan Wilson to give OSU an early 1-0 advantage in the 13th minute of action.

The Cyclones outshot the Cowgirls 10-3 in the first period but were unable to convert attempts into scores as the Cyclones went into the break down one.

The Cowgirls struck again early in the second half, burying their second goal of the match in the 53rd minute. OSU’s Alex Morris recorded her first score of the year.

Iowa State kept battling, rattling off shot after shot until one possession resulted in a corner kick for Mira Emma. In the South corner, Emma played a ball right in front of the net for Leia Khairy, who notched her first score of the year to put the Cyclones back in business, down just one goal in the 68th minute.

The Cyclones would swap Chloe Broughton out for Kristin Boos in the final 10 minutes to put some more offense on the field, but the Cowgirls took advantage and were able to put two more scores on the board in the final minutes to push the score to 4-1 as they claimed a road victory to start conference play.

Salomé Prat and Khairy led the team in shots with four apiece while Avery Gillahan recorded two saves.

On the other side of the field, OSU goalkeeper Grace Gordon tallied eight saves to keep the Cowgirls in front.

Goals 

Iowa State: Leia Khairy (68’)

Oklahoma State: Logan Heausler (13’), Alex Morris (53’), Lexi Lee (87’), Xcaret Pineda (90’)

Assists

Iowa State: Mira Emma

Oklahoma State: Laudan Wilson (3), Alex Morris

Up Next 

After opening the Big 12 slate at home, Iowa State will have its first idle day of the season as the Cyclones don’t play on Sunday. ISU will return to action next week when it embarks on a two-game road trip, beginning with a match at West Virginia on Thursday, September 21. Next Thursday’s match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.