Adalie Schmidt’s freshman season of college soccer did not go as planned.

She came in with high hopes of making an impact on the ISU soccer team last season. Her body, however, decided differently.

Schmidt struggled with injuries throughout the season and ended up only playing in 10 games during her freshman campaign.

The season was not a total waste for Schmidt, however. Though she was unable to make the impact she had hoped for, she was able to watch and learn from her teammates.

“I think not having a lot of my freshman year definitely set me back a bit,” Schmidt said. “Just not understanding the game as much as I could have, just like the speed of play, how physical it is being in the Big 12. But it also helped me because I got to watch a lot and learn from Koree [Willer], and Goldy [Emily Goldstein], … so I think there was positives and negatives.”

When her sophomore season rolled around, Schmidt was more than ready. Though she was not in the starting lineup, she got her chance midway through the first half.

She came off the bench in the first game of the season last weekend and drilled home two goals in a 5-1 win against Mississippi State. The goals were the first two of her college career.

“Her role is to be a spark and energize the team,” said ISU coach Tony Minatta. “She found herself in the right place at the right time. Those goals were just her being scrappy … she was relentless in finding [the ball] and getting the ball in the goal.”

After having her previous season impacted by injury issues, scoring two goals in the season opener was even more rewarding for Schmidt. After injuries factored her out last season, she was eager to prove otherwise this season.

“It was great to prove something and show the team that I can contribute and help out,” Schmidt said of the goals.

Her role coming into the season was a simple one. She was simply expected to come in off the bench and provide energy. Minatta called for her to be a spark when the team needed igniting.

However, her role may be changing after the injury bug bit again. This time, it was Schmidt’s teammate, freshman starting forward Maribell Morales who was injured.

Minatta said the extent of the injury is unknown at this time. Morales has an MRI on Aug. 29 that will reveal the amount of damage to her shoulder.

“Right now we don’t know,” Minatta said. “Best case, she is back next week for the Iowa game. Worst case, she’s out for the season. We’re leaning toward best case rather than worst case, but we won’t know for sure until the MRI.”

Morales was expected to be one of the top goal scorers for the Cyclones this season. With her potentially out for an extended time, Minatta looks to Schmidt to fill the void.

“With Maribell out, [Schmidt] is going to be put in the starting position and we really like what she brings to the team,” Minatta said. “She’s a little bit different than Maribell, but still very impactful on the field.”

With Schmidt being moved into the starting spot for the time being, she will get a chance to step up and put to use all the things she learned last season as she sat out with injury issues.

While the team will miss Morales, it believes Schmidt is more than capable of filling her role.

“I think she’s only going to keep getting better and she’s really stepped it up this year,” said redshirt senior Margaret Powers. “She’s very capable and I think she proved that last weekend.”