Dominguez stays hot as Cyclones shut out Drake
Iowa State’s Jennifer Dominguez battles Drake’s Tori Flynn for possession of the soccer ball Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Cyclone Soccer Complex. The Cyclones defeated the Bulldogs 3-0.
October 14, 2012
The ISU soccer team defeated Drake 3-0 on Sunday as junior forward Jennifer Dominguez continued to shine offensively.
The Cyclones (10-7, 1-4 Big 12) earned their seventh shutout of the season in dominant fashion, outshooting the Bulldogs (12-4-1, 2-0-1 Missouri Valley) by a 14-2 margin.
Dominguez netted two goals on Sunday, giving her 13 on the season and six in the last three games. She leads the Big 12 in goals scored this season and has become a consistent offensive weapon for Iowa State.
“I’m just still getting to the right place at the right time,” Dominguez said. “I think I’m moving a little more dynamically than I was previously and just finding the balls and getting them to the back of the net.”
ISU junior midfielder Erin Green buried the Cyclones’ third goal on Sunday, also marking her first of the season. Green also assisted on Dominguez’s first goal on Sunday.
“It felt really good,” Green said of scoring her first goal of the season. “I’ve been waiting for it all year, and it finally came, so I’m happy.”
Dominguez’s first goal on Sunday came in the seventh minute, putting the Cyclones on the board early and allowing them to build momentum from the opening whistle.
Getting ahead early was especially important on Sunday given Drake’s 12-4-1 record and the fact that it is an in-state rival.
“It was really good, Drake’s been having a great season,” Dominguez said. “They’ve been putting some good wins up. They have a pretty decent goalkeeper as well, so it’s hard to put goals in on them.”
The Cyclones held the physical advantage Sunday, making a point to body the Bulldogs and be aggressive. The Cyclones committed five fouls while Drake committed just two.
Iowa State possessed the ball for the majority of the game, as well, which played largely into the team’s 14-2 shot advantage.
“That was a focus definitely at half time,” said ISU coach Wendy Dillinger of the Cyclones’ possession and physical play. “I thought early in the game we did really well doing that, but as the first half wore on, we were fouling a lot just because we were late getting to tackles. We talked about it at half time, that we need to keep the ball and move it quickly.”
The Cyclones will take to the road next weekend, playing at Kansas on Friday and at Baylor on Sunday.
