Long road trips are common for student-athletes. Taking 13 freshmen and a team in warm-up suits into the land of the wilderness isn’t. 

Friday night’s opener at the University of Montana Tournament seemed like a routine contest for the soccer team. The Cyclones encountered a change of plans just four minutes into the game against the host Montana Grizzlies.

Senior Ashley Costanzo got the nod in the net for the Cyclones, but she was forced to leave the game with a “bad contusion,” as coach Wendy Dillinger called it. Costanzo left the game with four saves in her brief appearance before freshman Maddie Jobe took the net.

Such an impromptu start could make for a rough game for a young keeper, but Jobe treated it like any other game and was ready to play when her number was called.

“You warm up to play,” Jobe said. “I prepared when warming up, so I was mentally into it already.”

Jobe played the second half for the Cyclones against Northern Iowa last weekend, but the Montana appearance was the longest she has played in a game yet this season.

“She was going to play half the game against Montana,” Dillinger said, after Jobe had logged 86 minutes on the stat sheet.

Jobe helped the Cyclones head into halftime scoreless, an early but recurring theme for the team this season.

As they did against Northern Iowa, the Cyclones came out of halftime with a surge and freshman midfielder Erin Green scored the lone goal in the game off a cross from fellow freshman Jessica Stewart.

“We had good opportunities on Friday, and Erin [Green] took advantage and put one away,” Dillinger said.

Costanzo’s health will be evaluated, but despite reported swelling, she should be ready to play Friday against Creighton.

The team took advantage of its day off Saturday and enjoyed it as a team.

“We had a fun day on Saturday, a lot of team building and bonding,” Dillinger said.

Sunday afternoon meant it was time for the University of Nevada, and the squad applied its lessons on urgency from Dillinger throughout the contest. 

“We had an opportunity to get a good scout on Nevada, so we were prepared going into the game and knew exactly what to expect,” Dillinger said.

Senior co-captain Jordan Bishop was the high scorer in the game, scoring the first goal of the game off a Nevada turnover as well as contributing an assist on the second and final goal of the game, scored by freshman Emily Goldstein.

“We had a nice string of passes leading up to the goal,” said Bishop on her goal. “Someone crossed it in and it just kind of bobbled in the box, and we had a bunch of numbers in the box, so really anybody could have been there. I think I was just at the right place at the right time.”

Bishop has been a strong leader for the Cyclones this season, her versatility being a large reason.

“I think since I’ve played the different positions, I know the roles of each position, and in a leadership role you have to know what other people are supposed to be doing and how you can help them in certain situations,” Bishop said.

“I think being able to play those positions and know what they’re supposed to do helps me communicate more with them and be a better leader on the field.”

Jobe played the entire game against Nevada, only allowing one goal that found its way to the back of the net midway through the second half. The freshman pitched in four saves for the game, giving Iowa State its third win of the season by a score of 2-1. Jobe has now received the win in every game Iowa State has won this season because of her late contributions.

Costanzo wasn’t completely out of the picture for the game against Nevada, as Jobe joked, “I happened to forget both my warm-up gloves and warm-up jersey, so she let me borrow those.”

But with the elder Costanzo on the sideline, Jobe held herself to a standard, and it paid off in her first career wire-to-wire fixture.

“It was mostly just about preparing myself, and I knew I had to have a good game,” Jobe said.

Both goalies have made solid contributions, and the Cyclone defense has been stepping up, with the team outscoring opponents 6-2 in five games this season. 

“We have a lot of great experience and understanding of what we need to do,” Dillinger said.

“Coupled with solid goal keeping and then Caitlin Graboski playing a defensive midfield, it is definitely making a positive impact for the team.”