Iowa State Tops Drake In Preseason Friendly

Saturday, August 11

Des Moines, IA

7:00 PM

Iowa State

Drake (Exhibition)

Iowa State Tops Drake In Preseason Friendly

08.11.2018 | Soccer

video

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa State soccer team defeated Drake, 2-0, in its lone exhibition match before the start of the 2018 regular season. The Cyclones put forth a promising effort, with goals from sophomore Courtney Powell and senior Emily Steil, while the defense was stifling in a shutout.

Turning Point of the Game
With the Cyclones in attack mode from the opening whistle, it was only a matter of time before they'd strike. In the second of three 30-minute periods played in the exhibition, Powell provided the scoring punch Iowa State was looking for. In the 52^nd minute, the speedy sophomore from La Porte City, Iowa, intercepted a Bulldog pass and took it the other way. Powell side-stepped the helpless goalkeeper and put it in the back of the net to break a 0-0 tie.

Cyclone Game Ball Goes to...
Emily Steil. There were several outstanding performances on the Cyclone side of tonight's friendly in Des Moines, but when a senior team captain scores a goal with 2:22 remaining on her 22^nd birthday, she gets the game ball. Steil ripped a shot from well beyond the 18-yard box in the waning moments of the match, and placed it perfectly in the upper 90, just beyond the outstretched arms of the Bulldog keeper, creating a spectacular highlight as Iowa State gets ready to open its 2018 regular season slate.

Coach Speak
"We just wanted to get off to a strong start," said head coach Tony Minatta. "We had three focus points: we wanted to establish our defensive organization, take care of the ball and attack with speed. I think we accomplished a lot of that tonight. There were some breakdowns defensively we have to clean up, and we gave the ball away too many times. We did attack with speed. Courtney Powell definitely showed her pace tonight and the type of weapon she is. It's a good starting point, but we've got a long ways to go. We still have to get better."

On Deck
Iowa State opens the 2018 regular season at home on Friday, Aug. 17, taking on South Dakota State at the Cyclone Sports Complex at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to all home soccer matches at the Cyclone Sports Complex this season. The season-opener will also be televised live on Cyclones.tv