An ISU mens soccer team decimated by injuries headed to the Associations of Collegiate Club Soccer tournament last weekend hoping for a respectable showing.

They exceeded all expectations and left with a ticket punched for the National Tournament.

The club, which competes in Region 2, won all four of its matches in convincing fashion. The Cyclones defeated Mankato University, Moorehead University, Wisconsin-Eau Claire and North Dakota State University by a combined score of 11-1.

“Basically we moved the ball around the field constantly and ran the other teams to the ground,” head coach Sandro Bassanini said. “It was a blue collar effort by a bunch of young guys who just refused to lose.”

The performance was remarkable considering only three members of the orginal starting lineup were able to make the trip. As a result, the squad was largely made of freshmen and sophomores, Bassanini said.

Despite having the chips stacked against them, midfielder Eric Olson wasn’t surprised his club was able to advance. He noted that it was a total team effort.

“We knew we had a chance to win,” Olson said. “We knew we had a lot of work to do to get there.”

Iowa State showed a balanced attack throughout the tournament. Ryan Castro, Eric Sanders and Matt Powers each scored two goals to boost the Cyclones.

The Cardinal and Gold defense also stood out, allowing only one goal and shutting out the other three oponents. Goalkeeper Greg Velasquez was “on fire,” said Bassanini. OIson noted that the defensive frame of mind has been around all season.

“That’s something that we’ve been focusing on since the first day of practice,” he said. “If you make a mistake, that can be the game.”

For Powers, who gave up tickets to the Nebraska-Oklahoma football game to help his team, the victories were very rewarding. The sophomore pounded in the game winner against division rival Wisconsin Eau Claire.

“It was worth it, because we made it to Florida,” he said. “There were a lot of un-proven players that really stepped it up.”

The Cyclones are now headed for sunny Cocoa Beach for the National Tournament Nov. 16-20. The round-robin event will feature 16 of the top teams in the country.

There, they will face a similar do-or-die challenge – one they are ready for. They have experience behind them, having advanced last year as well.

In that tournament, the Cyclones lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Minnesota. The Gophers went on to finish toward the top, and Olson said that gives the club reason to be optimistic.

Ironically, the more success that the club enjoys, the further into the red it goes. The soccer club, which is operating on a tight budget, is looking at high travel expenses to get the team to Florida.

“The team is in desperate need for funds in order to pay for the trip,” Bassanini said. “If anybody can help us, please do so. We will do just about anything to raise funds.”