It was a busy signing day for coach Tony Minatta and the Cyclones’ soccer team.

The Cyclones signed nine new faces to make up their 2018 recruiting class, the team announced on Wednesday. The class features no players from the state of Iowa, but includes six Midwestern prospects.

Minatta said that this was a pointed strategy to get players from regional clubs and high schools. 

“There’s some really quality soccer programs in this area,” Minatta said. “If they’re a top tier player in [the Midwest], we want to have a chance at them.”

When looking at the class, one thing stands out more than anything: versatility.

The versatility of this recruiting class stems from the Cyclones’ plan to change formation and the option to give players time in different roles.

One of the most versatile players in the class is Taylor Bee, a midfielder/defender from Fort Collins, Colorado. Bee is a player that Minatta says, “rises to the occasion,” and can play in central midfield and central defense. The ability to play multiple roles is important in Minatta’s system, and it became even more important during last season’s injury crisis.

Included in the “versatile athlete” category for the 2018 class are Taylor Wiegert of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, Megan Etrheim of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and attacker Kara Privitera of Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Minatta also said that freshman Makenna Schultz, who played right midfielder in 2017, will move to right back for the 2018 season.

“It’s a more natural fit for her,” Minatta said.

She joins a very competitive full back group that adds two new players in Brooke Miller, a recruit from San Marcos, California, and Etrheim. Minatta praised Etrheim as a player who can play “literally any position on the field.” The full back position is now a position of intrigue in Minatta’s new 4-2-3-1 system that will be implemented in the 2018 season, beginning with spring practices and games.

Minatta says that the new system will rely on the speed of outside players and highlight the versatility of the squad.

Also on the defensive side of the ball, the Cyclones added a new, “very athletic” goalkeeper to provide competition for freshman Dayja Schwichtenberg and sophomore Antonia Reyes.

Bailey Heffernon of Shawnee, Kansas, joined the Cyclones on Wednesday, and while Minatta said that both Schwichtenberg and Reyes are looking “really good” in practice, there could be a three-way battle for the starting spot if Heffernon acclimates to the Big 12 quickly.

The Cyclones’ midfield added depth with the additions of Nicole Martindale from Gretna, Nebraska, and Brinlee Whitaker of Omaha, Nebraska. Minatta’s goal with the class was to prepare for the future and create competition (“you don’t want players to get comfortable”), and with three juniors (soon to be seniors) seeing substantial time in 2017, the Cyclones have set themselves up to mitigate those future losses.

Two players (Kenady Adams and Taylor Bee) from Fort Collins, Colorado signed with the Cyclones, and Minatta credits relationships he built in the area with securing their commitments.

“They came from the same youth team,” Minatta said. “I coached them about eight years ago.”

Relationships with recruits are crucial, Minatta said, because most players usually sign before their senior year even begins.

“Relationships are everything,” Minatta said. “I’m with them as much as I can possibly be.”

Minatta was bullish on the forwards in the class and the wealth of options the Cyclones will have in 2018.

Adams, who was one of Minatta’s Fort Collins signees, is a goalscorer by nature and Minatta says he’s a fan of her ability to score from multiple positions. 

Minatta calls Privitera “relentless” and an attacker with “no conscience when it comes to wanting to score.” With all of his main attackers from last season returning and a new group of strikers coming in, Minatta hopes that the competition will lead to more goals and more wins. 

His focus on attacking play is notable, considering the Cyclones lost eight games by one goal last season.

Versatile and driven, Minatta believes this group of nine Cyclones will help Iowa State reach new heights as a program over the next four years.