Arizona soccer beats Iowa State 2-1 for second straight win

Ally Brown dribbles the ball past an Iowa State defender during a soccer match at Murphey Field at Mulcahy Soccer Stadium on Oct. 11.

The University of Arizona soccer team defeated Iowa State 2-1 on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, extending its winning streak to two games and improving to 5-5-4 on the season.

Iowa State tested Arizona early, forcing junior goalkeeper Sofia Cortes-Browne into action with a shot on goal three minutes into the match. The Wildcats answered in the sixth minute, pushing into the Cyclones’ end and earning a corner kick taken by junior Lily Boydstun.

Arizona controlled much of the early possession; Grace Smith, Zoe Mendola and Lainey Swanson kept the ball in the attacking half and put Iowa State’s back line under pressure.

Arizona defender Trinity Dorsey broke up several of ISU’s attacks when the Cyclones won the ball back and pushed forward.

In the 17th minute, Arizona appeared to earn a penalty kick, but the call was overturned and play restarted with a drop ball to the Cyclones. Two minutes later, Cortes-Browne stopped a shot from Iowa State’s Regan John.

Arizona then had a chance for a goal-scoring opportunity off a corner kick as Swanson’s cross into the box went just over the crossbar from Ally Brown’s header.

Arizona broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Swanson scored off an assist from Mireya Stephenson, beating the goalkeeper with a right-footed shot into the upper left corner for a 1-0 lead.

Iowa State pushed for an equalizer as the Cyclones’ corner kick from Makenna Marshall was cleared, and Arizona won the ball back shortly after an Iowa State throw-in. Cortes-Browne then made back-to-back stops, saving an Iowa State header before denying Megan Walters on the follow-up.

Walters later set up Regan John, whose shot went off target. Arizona spent much of this stretch defending, though Ashley May forced a save from Iowa State in the 35th minute.

Arizona’s Jessica Bodoya received a yellow card late in the half, and Iowa State’s Ava Hancock was called for a handball. Neither team scored again, and Arizona took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Arizona switched goalkeepers at halftime, sending in redshirt junior Laurynn Ziller, who was tested right away.

Ziller turned away back-to-back shots from Iowa State’s Megan Walters and Lucy Froitzheim to open the second half. However, with 52:50 on the clock, Walters put in a shot into the bottom-left corner to equalize the score at 1-1.

A foul by Iowa State’s Danica Lunceford gave Arizona a free kick, which led to back-to-back corner kicks, but the Wildcats failed to produce a goal in either opportunity

In the 73rd minute, sophomore forward Kyleigh Johnson scored off an assist from senior attacking midfielder Ella Weathersby, putting the Wildcats ahead 2-1 with just over 17 minutes to play.

Both teams kept pushing over the final stretch, but the goalkeepers stood firm on each end.

Arizona and Iowa State were called for two fouls apiece, and no more goals came as the Wildcats closed out a 2-1 victory.

The Arizona Wildcats are back on the road this week to take on Utah in Salt Lake City this Friday, Oct. 16th, at 6:00 PM.

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