Replacing Maddie Jobe in the back of the net will be no easy task for ISU soccer. 

Jobe did not miss a single minute of action last season, starting and finishing all 20 games in the net. She also racked up some impressive stats along the way.

Jobe recorded 91 saves last season, second best in the Big 12, and recorded seven shut outs. For her career, she is Iowa State’s all-time leader in wins with 29 and shutouts with 21, along with numerous single season school records. Jobe is also second all-time in career saves with 319.

Now with Jobe being lost due to graduation, there will be a new face guarding the Cyclones’ goal.

“Andrea [Swanson] has clearly won the spot,” said head coach Tony Minatta. “She came in with a lot of confidence coming in off her season at Drake. She’s been really able to show her explosiveness and athleticism.

“The number one thing that changed during her year at Drake was her confidence and communication. She’s got the command of the box and the presence to be in goal right now.”

Swanson proved her abilities from the get go and claimed the starting spot over true freshmen Emily O’Grady and Lindsey Hendon. Swanson’s experience level was a big reason in her winning the starting job, Minatta said.

“I’m very confident in both freshman goalkeepers that have come in, but they’re freshman — they’re inexperienced,” Minatta said. “They’ve learned that things are a lot faster now, and to be able to get seasoned under a player like Andrea … that’s incredible for them and a great opportunity.”

Now with Swanson firmly grasping the starting spot, she will mentor O’Grady and Hendon while the freshmen will continue to push her.

“Both of them are very knowledgeable and good goalkeepers,” Swanson said of her fellow goalies. “We’re just trying to keep a good atmosphere at practice and push each other.”

Swanson’s college experience has been a little different than that of the typical senior.

She won’t be a completely new face in the back of the net for the Cyclones as Swanson actually started her career at Iowa State where she made 22 appearances and 13 starts between her freshman and sophomore seasons, splitting time with Jobe.

After her sophomore season, she decided to transfer to nearby Drake for her junior season.

“I had to do it for myself,” Swanson said of transferring to Drake. “I wasn’t as happy as I wanted to be here and I felt that maybe soccer was part of that, so I transferred.”

After a successful season at Drake, where she made 103 saves, recorded 3 shutouts and finished with a 1.55 goals-against average, Swanson had a change of heart and decided to come back to Iowa State.

“It’s hard to explain, but [transferring to Drake] was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because at the end of the season, I realized that at the end of the day it was about more than soccer, it was about where I would be the happiest as a student as well and that was at Iowa State,” Swanson said.

Her lone season with the Bulldogs proved to be beneficial as she played more minutes and gained more experience than she would have if she was playing behind or splitting time with Jobe.

Now that added experience will help her as she takes over as goalkeeper for the Cyclones.

“I saw a lot more minutes,” Swanson said. “I became a lot more confident and comfortable in the goal and that was probably the biggest thing last season at Drake helped me with.”

That confidence and comfort will pay off for the Cyclones as they will have another seasoned goalkeeper defending their net now that Jobe’s tenure has come to an end. And that’s something the rest of the team is pretty excited about.

“She has fit in so well and we couldn’t have asked for anything better to happen,” said sophomore forward Koree Willer. “She’s a godsend to our team and a great player and we welcome her back with open arms.”