AMES, Iowa – After earning their first Big 12 victory of the season, Iowa State returns to the Cyclone Soccer Complex to welcome the sixth-ranked BYU Cougars in the teams’ first-ever meeting. The Cyclones and Cougars will meet on Monday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. and the action will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

ISU (4-7-1, 1-3 Big 12) will face its second set of Cougars on Monday, entering the contest coming off a win over the Houston Cougars on Thursday, 2-1. BYU (9-1-2, 2-0-2 Big 12) tied in its last outing against Cincinnati and at one point, was the number one team in the country.

BYU will be the fourth and final team Iowa State will meet for the first time ever this season. The Cyclones downed both Portland State and Houston but fell to Cincinnati in the previous “first time” meetings this season.

The Matchup: Iowa State (4-7-1, 1-3 Big 12) vs. BYU (9-1-2, 2-0-2 Big 12)
Where: Cyclone Soccer Complex // Ames, Iowa
When: October 2 – 6 p.m.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Live Stats: cyclones.com

Leading the Cyclones
Iowa State enters the Monday night matchup coming off a 2-1 victory over Houston at home on Thursday. It was just the fourth time ISU has scored 2+ goals in a game and the Cyclones are 3-0-1 in matches where they’ve produced at least two scores.  

Mira Emma leads all Cyclones in goals (4), points (11), shots on goal (14), shots (21) and assists (3). The fifth-year senior captain notched her second career brace in the team’s outing against Portland State.

Fellow seniors Salomé Prat notched her third score of the season as well as her third career game-winning goal against Houston, making her the second-highest scorer for the Cyclones. Prat now has 15 career goals and four as a Cyclone.

Goalkeeper Avery Gillahan is the lone Cyclone to have played all 1,080 possible minutes this season. She has tallied 32 saves and has faced over 150 shots through 12 contests. Gillahan recorded her second career shutout against Portland State earlier this season.

Scouting BYU
BYU comes to Ames after tying the Cincinnati Bearcats, 1-1, in Provo on Thursday evening. The Cougars outshot Cincy 26-6 but were unable to convert on anything outside of a PK in the 47th minute after giving up a goal to Cincinnati in the second minute of action. 

The Cougars, who spent a pair of weeks ranked as the number one team in the country, have suffered just one setback on the year, falling at Utah State. BYU has defeated No. 21 Saint Louis, No. 1 UCLA, and No. 14 Texas on the year.

BYU averages 3.25 goals per game and is led by a myriad of players on offense. Seven Cougars have 3+ goals on the year, and four have five or more scores. Leading the way is Erin Bailey, who has seven goals, while Olivia Katoa leads the team in points with 15.

Kendell Peterson also plays a big role in the BYU attack, as she has eight assists on the year to lead the team. Peterson’s eight assists are the third most in the conference. The aforementioned Katoa has four game-winning goals, the second most in the Big 12.

Between the sticks, Savanna Mason has gotten the majority of the action as she has started nine matches and owns 21 saves. She is 7-0-1 on the year and holds a 1.24 goals-against-average.

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 59% of its attempts on goal. That’s good enough for the ninth-highest ranking in the country.
• Four Big 12 programs are ranked in the Coaches Poll this week, as BYU is No. 6, Texas Tech is ranked 14th, UCF is 19th and Texas is 21st.
• Senior Mira Emma ranks in the top ten in ISU history in points, goals, game-winning goals and assists.
• 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. Through 12 matches, Gillahan has a pair of shutouts and 32 saves.
• 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 Cougars will meet for the first time in both programs’ history. 

Up Next
Following its two-game homestand against Houston and BYU, Iowa State will head for Texas to face off with the Baylor Bears this Thursday, October 5, at 7 p.m. Thursday’s match will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. 

As always, home matches are FREE to attend at the Cyclone Soccer Complex.