Lauren Helwig netted two penalty-kick goals in the second half to help the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Soccer team earn a 2-2 draw against Power Five opponent Iowa State on a hot and humid Sunday in Ames, Iowa.
“It was nice to see our team keep competing considering the score, the heat, and being on the road for so long,” said Gaucho coach Paul Stumpf. “Both penalty kicks were earned and we are glad to be home for six of th next eight matches.”
A tightly contested first half saw a lot of back and forth from both sides. A couple of chances by both teams could not find the decisive touch needed to take the lead early. In the 36th minute of the match, the Cyclones broke the scoreless game. The Cyclones gained all the momentum and carried that into halftime as they dominated the last 10 minutes of play.
As the teams came back onto the pitch following halftime Iowa State continued to generate chances and struck again in the 47th minute. With a two-goal lead, the Cyclones let their guard down a bit and UC Santa Barbara took full advantage.
The Gauchos were able to sustain offensive pressure in the attacking third of the field. In the 52nd minute, they were awarded a penalty kick after an Iowa State defender committed a foul inside the box. Helwig shot across her body into the low-left side of the net to cut the ISU lead to one.
The Gauchos continued to apply pressure and in the 74th minute were awarded their second penalty kick of the game. A handball was whistled in the box and Helwig again stepped up and found the back of the net to tie the game.
After the Gauchos tied the match both teams played more aggressively with three players receiving a yellow card. The aggression did not help either side as neither the Cyclones nor Gauchos could find the back of the net and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
UC Santa Barbara returns home on Thursday, Sept. 7 as they host San Francisco at Harder Stadium at 7 p.m.