After scoring a goal in ISU soccer’s preseason exhibition game and assisting on two goals in the team’s season opener, Maribell Morales’ hot start was derailed by a shoulder injury in the second game of the year.

The freshman forward from La Habra, California, was sidelined for nearly three weeks and missed four games due to the injury.

Morales is back on the field now and was able to score the first goal of her career on Sept. 12 against Northern Colorado, but the freshman is still struggling to get back to her preseason form.

“Maribell is very dynamic and a gifted player,” said ISU coach Tony Minatta. “She is struggling right now coming back. With her injury, she lost a lot of her fitness base which I’m not sure she was really prepared for.”

After aggressively training for months prior to the season, much of Morales’ fitness was lost after sitting out for nearly three weeks. She was able to work out during the rehab process, but nothing can quite replace the speed and intensity of a live match.

“We need to get her back in fit and giving her that 20-25 minutes each half,” Minatta said. “We need to see her bring the energy and make an impact and run for as long as she can even if the fitness isn’t there yet.”

While getting her body back in peak physical form is obviously not a short process, Morales also has mental hurdles she is working on clearing.

She said the fear of re-injuring her shoulder is still stuck in the back of her mind, as is common in lots of athletes returning from an injury. The injury has also shaken her confidence, she said.

“Its just adversity that I still need to get over,” Morales said. “Hopefully this weekend I can play the way I played in the beginning [of the season].”

The Cyclones will need Morales as the conference season approaches. Prior to the injury, Coach Minatta had said he expected Morales to be one of the Cyclone’s top goal scorers this season.

With Big 12 foes Oklahoma State and Baylor on the schedule this weekend, the Cyclones want Morales at 100 percent as soon as possible.

“It’s good to add a different dynamic to the team,” said forward Koree Willer. “It’s tough getting the flow down right away, but I foresee her coming back being really good for the team.”

Willer has carried much of the load offensively so far this season, scoring eight goals. The next highest goal scorer has been Adalie Schmidt, who has been out with a elbow injury with three goals.

Willer’s early season success may pay off for Morales and other Cyclone attackers, as teams have zoned in on Willer, sometimes double- and triple-teaming her.

Morales hopes to take advantage of those situations as her fitness and confidence levels get back to where they were prior to the injury.

“I want to have a big role and I need to work hard and get where I was so I can be a person who makes the team work better too,” Morales said.