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Cyclones to host Kentucky for Senior Day

Sports

September 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Cyclone soccer program will wrap up its non-conference schedule on Sunday, Sept. 10, when it welcomes Kentucky to the Cyclone Sports Complex. Sunday’s match is set to kick off at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
ISU (3-3-1) looks to build off its 2-0 road win over Portland State on Thursday and build upon its best start to a season since 2016. Kentucky (5-0-1) enters the match riding a three-game win streak and has yet to suffer defeat on the year.

The Cyclones will honor eight seniors on Sunday, as Kristin Boos, Maddie Brant, Alex Campana, Olivia Edwards, Mira Emma, Abigail Miller, Salomé Prat and Hanna Reid will all be recognized pre-game. The Kentucky bench will sport two familiar faces for Cyclone fans, as assistant coach Maddie Dobyns and senior Claudia Najera were both with ISU last season.

The Matchup: Iowa State (3-3-1) vs. Kentucky (5-1)

Where: Cyclone Soccer Complex // Ames, Iowa
When: September 10 – 1 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: cyclones.com
 
Leading the Cyclones
The Cyclones scored two goals in their last outing, marking the third time the team had done so this season.
Mira Emma leads all Cyclones in goals, points and shots and is tied for the team-lead in assists and shots on goal. The fifth-year senior captain notched her second career brace in the team’s last outing against Portland State.
Fellow seniors Salomé Prat and Abigail Miller also have more than one score on the year, as each has two. Both Kristin Boos and Lauren Hernandez each have one goal to round out the Cyclone scorers.
Goalkeeper Avery Gillahan is the lone Cyclone to have played all 630 possible minutes this season, with Chloe Broughton having played just two minutes less at 628. Gillahan recorded her second career shutout on Thursday, blanking the Vikings 2-0.
Scouting Kentucky
The Wildcats have yet to lose this season, having tied Valparaiso in their only non-win of the season. Kentucky is looking to complete an unbeaten run through non-conference play, with its finale coming against the Cyclones.
Kentucky’s Jordyn Rhodes leads the SEC in goals scored with six, tied for the most in the conference. Outside of Rhodes, five other Wildcats have a goal to their names. A pair of Wildcats, Grace Philpotts and Tanner Strickland, have three assists on the year.
Marz Josephson has started all six matches for the Wildcats in goal, allowing just two scores and totaling 12 saves.
Kentucky’s roster consists of 23 newcomers and just 12 returners from last season.
From the Notebook
  • The Cyclones have lost just one match under Coach Fannon when scoring at least two goals. Two seems to be the magic number for the offense.
  • Iowa State leads the Big 12 in shot accuracy, placing 60.0% of its attempts on goal. That’s good enough for the 16th-highest ranking in the country.
  • Three Big 12 programs are ranked in the Coaches Poll this week, as BYU is No. 1 in the country, Texas is 17th and TCU returned to the poll, checking in at 25.
  • Mira Emma recorded her 11th career assist in the season-opener, pushing her into the ISU top 10 all-time. Emma also moved into a tie for seventh-most goals in a Cyclone uniform, scoring her 14 and 15th against Portland State.
  • After program legend Jordan Silkowitz was drafted into the NWSL, a new face took the net for the Cyclones this past week, as Avery Gillahan handled goalkeeping responsibilities.
  • Gillahan earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on August 23rd for her performances during the first week of the season.
Series History
The Cyclones and Wildcats will meet for just the second time on Sunday. The two teams first met last season in Lexington, as Kentucky bested Iowa State by a score of 4-0. Last year’s matchup saw Kentucky score three goals in the final nine minutes of action.
Up Next

Following its non-conference finale, Iowa State will turn its attention to Big 12 play. The Cyclones will be back in action next Thursday, Sept. 14, when they welcome Oklahoma State to the Cyclone Soccer Complex. Thursday’s matchup is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. and will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.