Cyclones To Host Baylor Friday

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State (0-2) returns home to battle Baylor (0-0-2) on Friday night at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The Cyclones and Bears will kick off at 6 p.m. The match will not be open to the general public, but fans can catch the action live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ as Iowa State is looking to rebound following a 2-1 loss at No. 6 Oklahoma State a week ago.

Baylor at Iowa State
Where: Ames, Iowa – Cyclone Sports Complex
When: September 25 / 6 p.m. CT
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Available here.
Live Stats: Available here.
Game Notes: Available here.

KEY STORYLINES
-Kassi Ginther scored Iowa State's first goal of the season, striking in the 51st minute to give the Cyclones a 1-0 lead at No. 6 Oklahoma State.

-Ginther's goal was the fifth of her career, and first since Oct. 21, 2018 in a 2-0 win at OSU.

-Starting goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz made four saves in 90 minutes at OSU, and now ranks No. 5 in the Big 12 with eight saves on the season.

-Powell, a senior, recorded her second career assist on Ginther's goal vs. Oklahoma State. Sophomore Claudia Najera is ISU's active leader with four assists.

-Iowa State is one of two teams in the country, joining Virginia Tech, to have already faced two teams currently ranked among the top six nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Cyclones have faced No. 4 WVU and No. 6 OSU.

-Ginther ranks T-No.6 in the Big 12 in points on the season with two, and is now No. 2 on the team with five career goals, trailing only fellow senior Courtney Powell (9).

-Baylor leads the all-time matchup vs. Iowa State 18-7-2 in a series that dates back to 1996. The Cyclones are 5-6 all-time vs. Baylor in Ames.

-Powell, a senior, recorded her second career assist on Ginther's goal vs. Oklahoma State. Sophomore Claudia Najera is ISU's active leader with four assists.

-Two Cyclone newcomers have seen game action so far this year. Silkowitz, a sophomore, has played all 180 minutes in goal, while defender Olivia Edwards is the lone freshman to see time on the pitch thus far, making two starts.

-New Cyclone head coach Matt Fannon comes to Iowa State following a historic three-year run at BGSU, during which he was named the MAC Coach of the Year three times. He helped BGSU capture both the MAC regular season and tournament championships in 2018 and 2019, leading the Falcons to two NCAA Tournament appearances.

-Iowa State returns 9 of 11 starters from its most commonly-used starting 11 last season. In total, 11 returners logged at least seven starts in 2019.

-A vast majority of the Cyclones' offensive production from 2019 is back. 29 of ISU's 32 points last year were tallied by players on the 2020 roster.

-Taylor Bee returns to Iowa State's back line as a junior with a wealth of experience. Bee was on the pitch for all but eight minutes of the 2019 season, playing 1634 total minutes.

-Fannon will look to turn around a Cyclone offense that scored 11 goals in 2019 - the lowest output in school history. He has an established track record of doing just that - his 2017 BGSU team scored 43 goals, and the 2019 team scored 46 to rank as the two highest-scoring seasons in school history.

-Despite the returning production, the Cyclones also have a host of new faces. Nine of Iowa State's 28 players are newcomers, including eight true freshmen.

-The Big 12 implemented a nine-match, conference-only 2020 schedule to ensure consistent health and safety protocols.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Bee

Olivia Edwards

Kassi Ginther

Claudia Najera

Courtney Powell

Jordan Silkowitz

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics