Cyclones Face Texas Tech, Western Illinois

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State soccer team (6-2-3, 2-1-1 Big 12) travels to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech (3-6-1, 1-3-0 Big 12) Friday night before returning home for a non-conference match-up with Western Illinois (9-1-1, 3-0-0 Summit League) Sunday afternoon.

Cyclone Notebook

- The Cyclones tied No. 3 Texas, 1-1, in Ames before suffering their first Big 12 setback of the season, 1-0, at Colorado last weekend. Texas is the highest-ranked team to ever play at ISU Soccer Complex.

- ISU is No. 10 in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer Buzz Central Region rankings. The Cyclones are tied with Ole Miss in the NSCAA poll, securing the No. 10 spot for the second straight week. ISU gained three spots in the Soccer Buzz rankings.

- Ann Gleason is at or near the top of the Big 12 in every goalkeeper statistic. She's first in goals-against average (0.59), save percentage (.892), shutouts (5) and shutouts per game (0.45). She's also second in saves per game (5.27) and saves (58).

- ISU defeated No. 16 Oklahoma State, 3-0, on Sept. 28, before turning another shutout Sept. 30, against Oklahoma, 2-0. Gleason made 14 saves on the weekend to preserve the pair of shutouts. Elise Reid scored twice on the weekend.

- The win over then-No. 16 Oklahoma State signified the highest-ranked team the Cyclones have ever defeated. The previous-best came at No. 18 Texas A&M in 2005.

- Iowa State leads the series with both the Red Raiders and the Westerwinds, 10-1 and 1-0, respectively. ISU has downed Texas Tech in the last 10 meetings. The match-up with Western Illinois comes nearly 10 years to the day after the first pairing, an 8-0 ISU victory on Oct. 10, 1997.

Head Coach Rebecca Hornbacher

- Head coach Rebecca Hornbacher is in her sixth season at ISU. With a record of 43-56-11, she is now the winningest coach in ISU soccer history. She passed Cathy Klein (41 wins) for the top spot on Sept. 28, with a 3-0 win over then-No. 16 Oklahoma State.

- Hornbacher led the Cyclones to their best finish in the Big 12 in 2005, going 11-7-3 (6-3-1 Big 12)(tied for second). The team's reward was the Cyclones' first trip to the NCAA Tournament, while Hornbacher was recognized as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

A Closer Look At Texas Tech

- The Cyclones lead the all-time series with the Red Raiders, 10-1. The only ISU loss in the series came in the first meeting and the first year of Cyclone soccer in 1996.

- Texas Tech (3-6-1, 1-3-0 Big 12) has lost its last three games to Texas, Missouri and Kansas after winning its Big 12 opener against Colorado. They've also beaten Texas State and Texas-San Antonio this season, and tied Southern Methodist.

- Texas Tech is coached by Tom Stone. Stone is in his first season as head coach of a college soccer program after leading the WUSA's Atlanta Beat for three years. He was an assistant at Clemson last year.

- Three Red Raiders have two goals this season - senior forward Priscilla Esquivel, sophomore midfielder Emmie Bennett, and freshman defender Karen De Leon have two markers each. De Leon also has an assist for a team-leading five points.

- Junior midfielder Shannon Sims leads the Red Raiders with two assists.

- Redshirt junior goalkeeper Tina Rincon has played in 908 of 920 minutes in net for Texas Tech this season. She's compiled a 1.49 goals-against average and a .769 save percentage while making 50 saves.

A Closer Look At Western Illinois

- The Cyclones defeated the Westerwinds, 8-0, on Oct. 10, 1997, the only meeting in series history.

- The Westerwinds (9-1-1, 3-0-0 Summit League) are in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1). The only team to beat Western Illinois this season, Evansville, won convincingly, 3-0, on Sept. 7. Eastern Illinois battled to a 2-2 tie with the Westerwinds on Sept. 21.

- The Cyclones and Westerwinds have one common opponent so far this season. Both teams defeated Oakland, 2-1, on their respective home fields. ISU opened the 2007 season against the Golden Grizzlies on Sept. 2, while WIU faced Oakland on Sept. 16.

- Western Illinois coach Tony Guinn is in his first season with the Westerwinds. He compiled a 30-20-4 record at Division III St. Mary's (Minn.) University over the past three years. He also won 273 games over 11 seasons at Saint Catherine's (Wis.) High School.

- Five Westerwinds have at least three goals. Senior midfielder Bess Rapp, junior forward Katelyn Wisner, and sophomore midfielder/forward Keeley Murray have four goals apiece. Senior defender Robyn Ruypers and junior midfielder Ashley Hoch have three goals each.

- Murray, Rapp and Ruypers are tied for the team lead with 10 points each. Ruypers had a team-leading four assists. Murray and Rapp have two helpers each.

- Sophomore goalkeeper Meghan Tyk has seen the majority of the time in net. She's compiled a 0.57 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage while grabbing 27 saves. She has an unblemished 6-0-0 record, including three shutouts.

Iowa State In The National Rankings

- ISU ranks 15th in the nation in save percentage (.894), 25th in goals-against average (0.591), 60th in shutout percentage (.455) and 62nd in won-lost-tied percentage (.682). Individually, sophomore goalkeeper Ann Gleason ranks 16th in save percentage (.892), 31st in goals-against average (.591) and 82nd in saves per game (5.27).

Gaining A Solid Reid On Goal-Scoring

- Sophomore midfielder Elise Reid struggled through a scoreless freshman campaign, despite leading the Cyclones in shots (51). In her sophomore season, she's hardly struggled. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native leads the Cyclones with five goals on 23 shots in 2007. Reid has scored a goal in three of ISU's Big 12 match-ups against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Texas. She also scored a pair of goals against UNI on Sept. 7.

Gleason Garners Local, National Attention

- Gleason has been stellar in net all season and was recognized for her accomplishments on Oct. 2. The Stillwater, Minn., native was selected Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week. The honors came on the heels of consecutive shutouts against then-No. 16 Oklahoma State and regionally-ranked Oklahoma. Gleason made 14 saves on the weekend.

Cyclones Tussle To Tie No. 3 Texas

- When Iowa State played host to No. 3 Texas, it marked the highest-ranked team the Cyclones had ever played in Ames. But Iowa State did no play scared. Elise Reid scored in the 22nd minute and only a brilliantly-placed corner kick from Longhorn Courtney Gaines prevented the biggest win in program history.

Iowa State Defeats Nevada, Ties UNLV For Undefeated Weekend

- Iowa State defeated Nevada on Sept. 21, 2-1, before playing host UNLV to a scoreless tie Sept. 23, in the Rebel Classic. Ann Gleason had 13 saves on the weekend. Casey Bothwell scored her first goal of the season, while Leslie Hill tallied what proved to be the game-winner in the Nevada game.

Players Mentioned

Casey Bothwell

Casey Bothwell

Ann Gleason

Ann Gleason

Leslie Hill

Leslie Hill

Elise Reid

Elise Reid

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics