PRIMER: Iowa State at Houston

Who: Iowa State (4-3-2, 0-1-0 Big 12) at Houston (5-1-3, 1-0-0 Big 12)

Where: Carl Lewis International Complex (2,500) – Houston, Texas

When: Thursday, September 24 – 7 p.m. CT

Kicking Off
Making its first-ever trip to Houston, Iowa State will look to earn its first Big 12 win of the season and first road conference win since 2024. The contest against Houston is the first of two this week for ISU, marking its first week with two games since August.

The Cyclones enter Thursday's match having last played against No. 15 Colorado, coming up on the short end of a 1-0 match. The Cyclones held a prolific Buffalo offense to just one goal in the contest, which came on a penalty kick.

Houston enters Thursday night's contest 1-0 in Big 12 play, handling K-State in its opener 3-0. Houston scored the most goals of any KSU opponent this year and handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

From the Notebook

Through nine games, 10 different Cyclones have scored goals.
Iowa State shut out five of its first seven opponents, marking the first time since 2015 an ISU squad has done so.
Iowa State's 2-1-1 start to the season was tied for the best four-game opening stretch by an ISU team since 2016.
Iowa State's two highest-scoring games under Coach Fannon have come against UNI. A 6-0 win over the Panthers in 2024 marks the most in a game, while the 5-0 win from August is the second-most.
Morgan Goodman recorded the first three-plus assist game by a Cyclone since Ashley Johnson in 2012, when she collected a trio of helpers against Kansas City.
- Goodman finished with five points against the Roos, the most by a Cyclone in a game since Emily Goldstein at Oklahoma in 2013.
Iowa State scored four goals in the win over KC. It was the fifth game of the Fannon Era that ISU has netted at least four goals in a contest.
Iowa State drew nine corner kicks against Omaha. It was the team's most in a single game since 8/20/23.
Iowa State earned a season-opening result for the fourth consecutive season, as it dispatched Omaha, 1-0.
After two seasons with San Francisco without earning a point, Danica Lunceford scored her first career goal in her first contest with the Cyclones, which would prove to be the game-winner.
ISU lost over half of its 2025 roster (14 players) over the offseason.
Morgan Struttmann and Giovanna Hansen will miss the season with injury.

Leading the Cyclones
Through nine outings, Morgan Goodman leads all Cyclones in points with six, holding a team-high four assists. Alaina Villa, Megan Walters and Sophie Forrester are tied for the team lead in goals with two apiece. Erin Hopewell and Maia Soulis are tied for the team lead in minutes played (724), while Forrester leads in shots (19).

Between the pipes, Eme McClenahan has started all of ISU's contests. The redshirt freshman has three clean sheets and a pair of combined shutouts to her name this year. She has 27 saves so far, tallying a career-high 10 saves against Iowa.

Overall, the Cyclones have scored 13 goals and allowed 6 through nine contests. The team has 130 total shots, averaging 14.4 per contest, and has placed 37.7% of them on goal.

Opponent Outlook
Houston is tied for the conference lead in goals scored, boasting three players with four or more scores on the season. Skylar Miller and Bailey Cate each have five goals to lead the team, while Samira Minor is right behind them with four of her own.

Sierra McCluer has handled the majority of work in the net for Houston, starting eight contests. McCluer holds a 0.41 goals-against average and has 26 saves. Collectively, Houston's keepers have a 0.875 save percentage and a 0.44 goals-against average.

Overall, the Coogs have scored 25 goals and allowed 4 through nine contests. The team has 161 total shots, averaging 17.9 per contest, and has placed 47.2% of them on goal.

Series History
The Cyclones and Cougars have met just twice previously, with each meeting coming in Ames. The series is tied at a game apiece, as Houston is one of just two Big 12 schools (UCF being the other) that the team has not visited.

Up Next
Iowa State will be back in action this Sunday, Sept. 27, when it returns to the Cyclone Sports Complex to host No. 10 West Virginia. ISU and WVU will square off at noon and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Sophie Forrester

Morgan Goodman

Giovanna Hansen

Erin Hopewell

Danica Lunceford

Eme McClenahan

Maia Soulis

Morgan Struttmann

Alaina Villa

Megan Walters

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics