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Cy-Hawk Winner: Abby Skiff's winner leads Iowa past Iowa State

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann09/05/25HuesmannKyle
Abby Skiff's 50th minute goal won the Cy-Hawk match for the Hawkeyes. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)
Abby Skiff's 50th minute goal won the Cy-Hawk match for the Hawkeyes. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)

Not all goals are made the same. Everyone loves the highlight reel goal that you replay over and over, but sometimes, a scrappy goal can be the difference between a win and a draw. In the right place, at the right time, it was an Abby Skiff toe poke goal that gave the Hawkeyes a 1-0 shutout win over Iowa State on Thursday night. Iowa has now won 14 of the last 17 meetings in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry dating back to 2007.

With the win, the Hawkeyes move to 4-1-1 on the season, while they also put Iowa in front 2-0 in the Cy-Hawk Series, with football next up on Saturday in Ames.

“I’ve been here 12 years. The first year we were here, we lost and I saw tears, not just from Iowa kids, but from everyone and it was very real, very fast that this game matters,” said head coach Dave Dilanni. “We talk about every year that we’re the first out of the gates, we’re the first ones to set the tone and we’ve been able to do that…What it means big picture, I don’t know, but it’s important that we take care of business for our school, for our community.”

Iowa controlled the possession and tempo of the match from the very beginning, outshooting the Cyclones 27-4. However, with ISU playing more players in the defending half, the Hawkeyes were forced to be cleaner in the attacking third. Unable to break through in the first 45, the coaching staff made some adjustments at halftime.

“(With defenders back) there’s less space to play. Just need to be better in those spaces, you’ve got to be cleaner,” said Dilanni. “We were a bit disappointed with how we played in the first half in terms of our ability to use both sides of the field. I thought we were pretty heavy on the right side, which was fine, but that’s what they wanted us to do, so when we got it out wide, it became pretty difficult to break down seven, eight players behind the ball.”

“In the second half, I thought they did exactly what we wanted them to do. The moment the first line was broken, Iowa State was dropping in and hiding space, so we started playing through Liana Tarasco and Sofia Bush underneath the line. We really did want Elle Wildman to get all the opportunities she got…I was really happy with our group, with how they played. We just needed to be better in certain areas.”

Still stuck in a 0-0 deadlock early in the second half, the Hawkeyes found a way to get a ball in the back of the net in the 50th minute. Off of a corner kick, Liana Tarasco swung a ball into traffic in the box, and it deflected right to the feet of Abby Skiff, who poked it past ISU keeper Kasey Cannistraro for the opening goal and only goal of the match. It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but it was more than effective.

“Last week, we tied 0-0 against Loyola, so it’s the minuscule details that can get you a 1-0 win this out of a full 90 minutes. Just right spot, right time, it’s what we practice,” said Skiff.

“We asked them to seal the box on the corner, with the thinking that we could get something in the back of the box and we did,” said Dilanni. “Whenever they follow the game plan, it really makes you happy that we were productive and they followed instructions. You can turn back and say, these are the things we ask you to do, and if you do them, you can be a bit more successful. Abby Skiff deserves that goal.”

Although the coaching staff and the players would have loved to cash in on multiple opportunities for a 3-0, 4-0 win, the way it played out was a good test. Even into the waning moments of the match, the Hawkeyes were forced to stay focused and on top of their game or risk giving up a late scoring chance to the Cyclones that could change the result. Playing out the full 90 minutes with full attention to detail will have benefits down the road in Big Ten play and beyond.

“I think what’s good and where it’s going to benefit us is that we had the ball a lot, we played well in certain areas, and the game is still tight,” said Dilanni. “You have to stay more disciplined and stay committed to what we’re asking them to do and not create mistakes that can result in a goal (for ISU).”

“You don’t want it to be tight, but that’s what it was, and I don’t think it’s ever easy when you play Iowa State.”

Abby Skiff, the hero on the night, is a Rochester, Michigan native, so she wasn’t born into the rivalry like several others on the roster that were. Still, the junior says she has fully become part of it during her time at Iowa.

“I’m not originally from Iowa, so I’ve gotten into the rivalry a little bit, and this is probably one of the biggest rivalries I’ve seen,” said Skiff. “Just to build myself into it and see how passionate people are and how many people show up, it’s just really great to win.”

FINAL STATS

#10 Iowa 1 Iowa State 0

50′ – Goal Iowa Abby Skiff (1-0)

Shots: Iowa 27-4 SOG: Iowa 10-2 Corners: Iowa 7-1 Fouls: Iowa 12-8

Up Next, the Hawkeyes travel to Springfield for a matchup against Missouri State on Sunday. The Bears are 2-4-1 this season, including back-to-back losses. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm CT on ESPN+.

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