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Minatta Reviews Solid Spring Season
04.29.2015 | Soccer
AMES, Iowa- The Iowa State women's soccer team concluded its spring season with an impressive two-game stint against Minnesota State-Mankato and Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. The 2015 spring slate is the second under head coach Tony Minatta and one that showed a lot of promise in the coach's eyes.
"I think that we experienced a lot of growth over the spring technically and tactically," Minatta said. "One thing that we were looking for was our leaders to take that next step. That was probably one of the biggest transformations was the captains really stepping up. They showed a lot of maturity."
The Cyclones started off the spring slate in Lincoln, Nebraska, taking on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa State jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, before falling to the hometown team 3-1. In spring games, the final score is not always indicative of the overall performance, and coach Minatta was very pleased with his team's effort in Lincoln.
Minnesota was next on Iowa State's schedule several weeks later in a game played at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa. The game was a close one, ending 1-0 in favor of the Gophers, but a game that went back and forth throughout the contest.
Iowa State's top performance of the spring came on April 4th in St. Louis, Missouri against two professional teams, FC Kansas City and the Chicago Red Stars. The Cyclones held their own with both teams, during two separate 45-minute halves, keeping the reigning National Women's Soccer League Champions FCKC Blues scoreless for the majority of the half. Iowa State was the only collegiate team to not surrender multiple goals to the defending NWSL champion FCKC Blues this spring. Iowa State fell to FCKC 1-0 and The Red Stars 3-0.
The team exited the weekend with loads of confidence and a realization that they had the ability to play with anyone.
"They know what they are capable of doing so they know what the standard of play is that they've set for themselves," Minatta said. "Now they know when they are not reaching that standard. What we saw in some other games was them holding themselves accountable because they weren't playing up to what they are capable of."
One thing that coach Minatta was looking for was that this year's group of captains to take over when needed. The three captains, Haley Albert, Lindsay Frank and Madi Ott showed that they were up for the challenge and ready to take over when adversity hit.
"The one thing that we are looking for in the fall is for them to be more vocal," Minatta said. "We really want them to lead their team especially when there's adversity. What we saw this spring is that they took a step forward in that aspect. They were always talking to the team. After games they would bring the team together and talk about what happened. In a lot of cases you want an extension of the coaching staff within that group and they really proved that they were ready for that and took that role on."
Following the team's performance against the NWSL teams, the squad headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to take on Creighton and Nebraska-Omaha. The Cyclones tied both games leading into the spring finale in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake Stadium.
The Cyclones ended the spring very strong tying Minnesota State-Mankato in rainy weather before defeating Drake 3-1 in their home stadium. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead early, waking the Cyclones up. A corner kick headed in by Brianna Johnson got the Cyclones going, followed by goals from Koree Willer and Kaley Nieters, ultimately leading to the 3-1 victory.
Minatta was excited to see the team come together to close out spring, but also glad to see several individuals step up in the spring season.
"Koree had a phenomenal spring," he said. "She really picked up from where she left off in the fall and took it to another level if you can believe that. Bri came in to her own. She really matured as a player and showed a lot of passion. Technically and athletically she's one of the top players on the field even against the pro teams. She really stepped into a prominent role so we're hoping that she continues to progress over the summer and become and even better player."
Speaking on the team's 3-1 win over Drake to close the spring season, Minatta reflected that the season couldn't have ended any better.
"It's a great way to end," Minatta said. "Had we not scored it would have been a situation where we played really well, but the score didn't show that. To get those goals and to move into the summer, it almost leaves them with a sense of not wanting it to end. Our hope is to motivate them to work hard and to continue to push into the summer so they want to come back and get that feeling again."
The key with spring games is avoiding injury and playing it smart when it comes to playing through injuries. Several starters didn't see minutes throughout the spring that hindered the Cyclones from playing to their full potential . The level the team played at without being at full strength was encouraging to everyone involved. Minatta feels with the key returning players combined with the incoming freshman class, the Cyclones are ready to take the next step as a program.
Check back later this spring on Cyclones.com for the release of Iowa State soccer's 2014 regular season schedule.
"I think that we experienced a lot of growth over the spring technically and tactically," Minatta said. "One thing that we were looking for was our leaders to take that next step. That was probably one of the biggest transformations was the captains really stepping up. They showed a lot of maturity."
The Cyclones started off the spring slate in Lincoln, Nebraska, taking on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa State jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, before falling to the hometown team 3-1. In spring games, the final score is not always indicative of the overall performance, and coach Minatta was very pleased with his team's effort in Lincoln.
Minnesota was next on Iowa State's schedule several weeks later in a game played at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa. The game was a close one, ending 1-0 in favor of the Gophers, but a game that went back and forth throughout the contest.
Iowa State's top performance of the spring came on April 4th in St. Louis, Missouri against two professional teams, FC Kansas City and the Chicago Red Stars. The Cyclones held their own with both teams, during two separate 45-minute halves, keeping the reigning National Women's Soccer League Champions FCKC Blues scoreless for the majority of the half. Iowa State was the only collegiate team to not surrender multiple goals to the defending NWSL champion FCKC Blues this spring. Iowa State fell to FCKC 1-0 and The Red Stars 3-0.
The team exited the weekend with loads of confidence and a realization that they had the ability to play with anyone.
"They know what they are capable of doing so they know what the standard of play is that they've set for themselves," Minatta said. "Now they know when they are not reaching that standard. What we saw in some other games was them holding themselves accountable because they weren't playing up to what they are capable of."
One thing that coach Minatta was looking for was that this year's group of captains to take over when needed. The three captains, Haley Albert, Lindsay Frank and Madi Ott showed that they were up for the challenge and ready to take over when adversity hit.
"The one thing that we are looking for in the fall is for them to be more vocal," Minatta said. "We really want them to lead their team especially when there's adversity. What we saw this spring is that they took a step forward in that aspect. They were always talking to the team. After games they would bring the team together and talk about what happened. In a lot of cases you want an extension of the coaching staff within that group and they really proved that they were ready for that and took that role on."
Following the team's performance against the NWSL teams, the squad headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to take on Creighton and Nebraska-Omaha. The Cyclones tied both games leading into the spring finale in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake Stadium.
The Cyclones ended the spring very strong tying Minnesota State-Mankato in rainy weather before defeating Drake 3-1 in their home stadium. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead early, waking the Cyclones up. A corner kick headed in by Brianna Johnson got the Cyclones going, followed by goals from Koree Willer and Kaley Nieters, ultimately leading to the 3-1 victory.
Minatta was excited to see the team come together to close out spring, but also glad to see several individuals step up in the spring season.
"Koree had a phenomenal spring," he said. "She really picked up from where she left off in the fall and took it to another level if you can believe that. Bri came in to her own. She really matured as a player and showed a lot of passion. Technically and athletically she's one of the top players on the field even against the pro teams. She really stepped into a prominent role so we're hoping that she continues to progress over the summer and become and even better player."
Speaking on the team's 3-1 win over Drake to close the spring season, Minatta reflected that the season couldn't have ended any better.
"It's a great way to end," Minatta said. "Had we not scored it would have been a situation where we played really well, but the score didn't show that. To get those goals and to move into the summer, it almost leaves them with a sense of not wanting it to end. Our hope is to motivate them to work hard and to continue to push into the summer so they want to come back and get that feeling again."
The key with spring games is avoiding injury and playing it smart when it comes to playing through injuries. Several starters didn't see minutes throughout the spring that hindered the Cyclones from playing to their full potential . The level the team played at without being at full strength was encouraging to everyone involved. Minatta feels with the key returning players combined with the incoming freshman class, the Cyclones are ready to take the next step as a program.
Check back later this spring on Cyclones.com for the release of Iowa State soccer's 2014 regular season schedule.
Players Mentioned
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