Cyclones Fall Short at No. 8 Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Iowa State came up short Sunday evening, falling to No. 8 Memphis on the opening day of September, 4-2.

The Cyclones (2-2-1) became the first program this season to net more than one goal on the Tigers but couldn't hold back the potent Memphis offense. The Tigers (4-0) defended their home turf, scoring three first-half goals en route to a two-goal victory.

For Iowa State, Magdalena Keck notched her third goal of the season, tying her for the team lead and giving her the team lead in points on the year (9). Also for ISU, junior transfer Adelaide Wolfe scored her first goal as a Cyclone and third of her career. Avery Gillahan had four saves.

For the Tigers, Anna Hauer had herself a night, as she recorded a brace and tallied an assist. Coming into tonight's contest, Hauer didn't have a point to her name, but she'll have five now. Also scoring for the Tigers were Momo Nakao and Ashley Henderson while Flavie Dube also recorded an assist. The Memphis keeper, Kaylie Bierman, did not record a save, allowing two goals.

Memphis led in shots and corners, outshooting the Cyclones 18(9)-6(2) while holding a 7-1 corner kick advantage. Iowa State had five saves (one team) on the evening to Memphis's zero.

How it Happened
The game got off to a raucous start, as the two squads combined to score four goals in the first 25 minutes of action. Memphis wasted little time, earning a quick 1-0 advantage in the sixth minute of action as Hauer sent a right-footed shot to the bottom right of the net to give the Tigers the early edge.

Memphis would maintain the majority of the possession for the next ten minutes, slowly trying to keep working it into the attacking third. It eventually worked in the 18^th minute as the team capitalized and scored a second goal, another right-footed score by Nakao to take a 2-0 lead.

Iowa State responded appropriately, immediately taking its kickoff down to the Memphis side of the field and drawing a corner. Yira Yoggerst sent one into the box from the top left of the field. After the ball was batted around, it found its way to Wolfe, who snuck it into the bottom left of the net to trim the game to a one-goal affair on the team's first shot of the game.

The frantic play continued into the 24th minute as Memphis put three first-half goals on the board. Henderson, off a feed from Hauer, pulled a nifty back-heel shot into the net to re-extend the Memphis lead to two.

Play calmed after the frenetic energy as each team settled in for the remainder of the half. Gillahan faced a handful more shots, making one save, as the two teams went into the break with the score 3-1 in favor of Memphis.

About ten minutes into the second half, ISU again was able to trim it to a one-goal game. A far-left run from Lauren McConnell was fed to Keck, who, after crossing over, smoked a left-footed ball from well outside the box past Bierman to make it 3-2.

56' | Magda from distance 😱

We've got a one-goal game against No. 8 Memphis!

🌪️⚽️🌪️ pic.twitter.com/Vg3D7DOPZC
— Iowa State Soccer (@cycloneSCR) September 2, 2024

Again, though, Memphis had an answer, as not even a minute later, Hauer buried her second score to make it 4-2 in favor of Memphis.

Another ten minutes of play passed before Cyclone senior Hannah Shaw, who has overcome injuries throughout her career, went down with an injury that sucked some of the life out of the ISU bench.

The two teams traded offensive opportunities, but neither was able to convert late in the second half, as No. 8 Memphis would go on to win 4-2.

The Tigers seemed to have a game plan of keeping Morgan Furmaniak excluded, as the Cyclones just were not able to get the senior transfer from Weber State involved as much as they'd have liked.

Fannon's Thoughts
"We were a little passive in the first half, which put us on the back foot and gave us a hole to dig out. But our second half performance was fantastic and one of the best we've seen, probably ever, against such a talented side. If we can continue to perform in this way, we're all very excited for what this season can be."

Goals
Iowa State: Adelaide Wolfe – 19' (1), Magdalena Keck – 56' (3)
Memphis: Anna Hauer – 6' & 57' (2), Momo Nakao – 18' (2), Ashley Henderson – 24' (3)

Assists
Iowa State: McConnell (2)
Memphis: Anna Hauer (1), Flavie Dube (2)

Up Next
The Cyclones will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 5, when they welcome the Michigan Wolverines to the Cyclone Soccer Complex. Iowa State will look to take the lead in a series tied one game apiece as the two teams are set to kick off at 6 p.m. and, as always, admission to the CSC is free.

Next Event

Team Stats

Magdalena Keck

Adelaide Wolfe

Lauren McConnell

Ella Zimmerman

Players Mentioned

Morgan Furmaniak

Avery Gillahan

Magdalena Keck

Lauren McConnell

Hannah Shaw

Adelaide Wolfe

Yira Yoggerst

Players Mentioned

Morgan Furmaniak

Avery Gillahan

Magdalena Keck

Lauren McConnell

Hannah Shaw

Adelaide Wolfe

Yira Yoggerst

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics