The Iowa State women’s soccer team continued its 2019 spring season with a string of back-to-back matches against South Dakota and Minnesota State on Sunday at the Cyclones Sports Complex.

Iowa State ended in 0-0 draw with South Dakota and beat Minnesota State 3-1.

The Cyclones returned to action for the first time after falling to in-state rival Iowa 2-0 on March 10.

Offense rebounds after stagnant first game

The Cyclones started off against South Dakota in a 40-minute match but a lack of solid offensive possessions for Iowa State led to the match feeling twice as long.

The Cyclones had three shots on goal for the entire match and turned over the ball on breakaways on two trips down the field.

Coach Tony Minatta said his roster felt the difficulty of having new combinations and roles to learn during the first match. 

“You don’t play a lot of games in the spring, you mostly train,” Minatta said. “Our offense wasn’t itself in the first game.”

The Cyclones were able to find the offense they were lacking against South Dakota and brought it in full force against Minnesota State.

Iowa State scored three goals off two corner kicks and one free kick.

At the 2:15 mark of the first period, midfielder Marin Daniel scored to tie the score 1-1 heading into the final period.

“I thought our reserves off the bench came in and brought more energy and purpose to the game,” Minatta said.

Freshman midfielder Kara Privitera gave the Cyclones a 2-1 after taking a corner kick from her teammate and deflecting the ball off of the goalie’s outstretched arms.

Forward Tavin Hays delivered the decisive goal at 12:55 for the Cyclones off of another corner kick.

“Our set pieces are always good which is why we were able to score off the free kicks and corner kicks today,” Minatta said.

New lineup leads to miscommunication

The spring season is a time for coaches to see who will be able to fill open positions on their rosters and implementing new combinations.

Iowa State fell victim to multiple miscommunications on passes and giveaways on offense.

The Cyclones are walking into the 2019 season with new faces and positions to fill, with a brand-new midfield and center backs needing time to develop and take shape.

The coaching staff found themselves yelling at players to hustle to the correct spot, help their teammates and keep the ball away from the opponent when they are trapped.

On multiple occasions, the Cyclones lost the ball out of bounds on breakaways, would pass right into the teeth of the defense and let defenders blow by them toward the goal.

“We were starting [Emily] Steil and [Kasey] Opfer last year and now they are gone,” Minatta said. “Our new midfield and center backs are so key, so even though we have brand new players in each of those spots this year, we have to be better.”