Iowa State Falls to No. 15 Colorado in Big 12 Opener
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State went toe-to-toe with a national contender on Thursday night, turned the game into a street fight, and still walked away empty-handed.
A single moment on the edge of the box decided it.
No. 15 Colorado escaped the Big 12 opener with a 1-0 win, riding a first-half penalty from captain Reagan Kotschau after Iowa State had spent 40 minutes smothering one of the league’s most dangerous attacks.
Defense stands tall, until the whistle
From the opening kick, Colorado came at Iowa State in waves. Three shots in the first 10 minutes signaled the Buffaloes’ intent, but the Cyclone back line refused to buckle. Two efforts were blocked, another drifted wide, and the underdogs settled in.
Iowa State then punched back. Midway through the first half, Morgan Goodman carved out a pair of chances, forcing a save with her first look before sending the second off target. It was a reminder that while Colorado carried the ranking, the Cyclones carried no fear.
Colorado’s response was immediate and relentless. Four shots flew in a frantic three-minute spell, each one turned away by goalkeeper Eme McClenahan, who anchored a defiant back line and finished with six saves on the night.
The resistance finally cracked not from open play, but from a call.
With the clock nearing 40 minutes, the ball dropped into the CU attacking third again. A foul by Makenna Marshall on the edge of the box drew a penalty, and Kotschau stepped up to decide it. She slid her shot just beyond McClenahan’s outstretched arm at 40:16, giving Colorado the only goal it would need.
At halftime, the numbers reflected the pressure. Colorado led 9-3 in shots and 1-0 in corners. Iowa State, clinging to the game, had already made four saves—all in that wild three-minute barrage.
Late push, cruel bounce
Iowa State refused to fade after the break.
The Cyclones generated five shots in the second half and grew into the contest, with veterans and workhorses carrying the load. Goodman, Cassidy Corcione and Izzy Kapanke each finished with two shots, and all three put one on frame. In the spine of the team, Maia Soulis and Danica Lunceford logged all 90 minutes, matching Colorado’s tempo and physicality stride for stride.
Colorado still carried the sharper edge in attack. Kotschau drove the Buffaloes forward, racking up a game-high five shots and putting three on target. 2025 Big 12 Forward of the Year Hope Leyba added three more efforts, one testing McClenahan. Between them, they kept the Cyclone defense under constant strain.
Yet the game stayed alive into the final minutes, and the upset bid nearly roared back to life in the 85th.
Corcione unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box, a shot that looked destined for the net. Colorado goalkeeper Brooke Goerish managed to get just enough of a touch to push it onto the crossbar. The rebound dropped invitingly to Sophie Forester in front of goal. For a heartbeat, the stadium held its breath. Forester’s follow-up flew wide, and with it went Iowa State’s best chance to level.
Colorado closed it out from there. Goerish finished with three saves and the clean sheet, while the Buffaloes ended with a 13-8 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in corners. Iowa State, forced into desperate defending at times, finished with more saves (6-3) and more fouls (14-11) in a bruising conference opener.
The Cyclones didn’t get the upset. What they did get was a clear message: their defensive grit can stand up to a ranked Big 12 power. The question now is whether they can turn that resistance into results as the league grind begins.
