AMES, IOWA – Kansas dropped a close match to the Iowa State Cyclones 1-0 on Thursday night at Cyclone Sports Complex. A goal by Sophia Thomas in the 55th minute was the difference.
Iowa State improved to 5-10-1 on the season with the win and 2-6-0 in Big 12 play. Kansas dropped to 3-7-6 on the year and 0-6-2 in conference action.
“Today, there’s not a lot that you can say we didn’t do besides score,” Head Coach Mark Francis said. “We did everything else. Nothing is quite dropping. Those little bounces that you need sometimes, we’re not getting right now. Again, we played some fantastic soccer tonight. We defended really well, battled hard and created tons of opportunities. We just couldn’t execute one. I’m really proud of how the group fought and battled tonight. We just have to recover and get ready for the game on Sunday.”
Kansas started the game with a strong offensive attack. The Jayhawks took the first eight shots of the match in the first 12:30 of action. KU went on to outshoot Iowa State 14-5 in the half, including 7-3 for shots on goal. Two shots in the half went off the right post. Kansas also held an 8-1 advantage on corners in the period, but the score was 0-0 at the break.
Iowa State scored the lone goal of the match in the 55th minute. Thomas scored her first goal of the season as she received a pass in the middle of the box from Abigail Miller. Thomas controlled the ball with her chest and shot across her body and into the goal.
The Jayhawks had a 22-12 advantage on shots and a 9-5 edge for shots on goal for the game. Lexi Watts led the team with five shots. She has now recorded at least one shot in each of the last 19 games dating back to last season. Mackenzie Boeve, Caroline Castans, Hallie Klanke and Maree Shinkle all had three shots each.
UP NEXT
Kansas plays its last two regular-season games at Rock Chalk Park, beginning on Sunday, Oct. 15 against West Virginia. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Single-game tickets can be purchased here or by calling the Kansas ticket office at 785-864-3141. Single-game tickets will also be available to purchase at the ticket window at Rock Chalk Park on gamedays, beginning one hour prior to kickoff.
