Cyclones Dominant In 4-0 Exhibition Win At UNI

Wednesday, August 14

Cedar Falls, IA

6:00 PM

Iowa State

UNI (Exhibition)

Cyclones Dominant In 4-0 Exhibition Win At UNI

08.14.2019 | Soccer

Box Score video

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Iowa State soccer team was dominant in a 4-0 exhibition win at UNI on Wednesday evening. The Cyclones' young talent was on full display, as all 27 available Cyclones saw the pitch, while all four goals were scored by freshmen.

Redshirt freshman Kenady Adams got things rolling with a beautiful strike in the 28^th minute to open the scoring. True freshmen Claudia Najera (34'), Eva Steckelberg (36') and Mira Emma (63') all followed suit with goals in the first collegiate action of their careers.

Turning Point of the Game
After an up-and-down start, the Cyclones settled in and began to assert control over the pace of the match 15 minutes into the first half. In the 28^th minute, the visitors broke through on a run by Adams. The native of Fort Collins, Colo., got in behind the UNI back line, earning a one-on-one opportunity with the Panther goalkeeper. Adams placed her shot beautifully outside the goalie's reach, finding the back of the net to give ISU an early 1-0 lead.

Cyclone Game Ball Goes to...
The newcomers. It's hard to go wrong when everyone sees the pitch in a 4-0 win, but the Cyclone freshmen showed they belong in their first collegiate outing. Najera extended the Iowa State lead to 2-0 on a beautiful strike in the 34^th minute, followed shortly by a goal from Steckelberg, a walk-on native of Ames, Iowa, assisted by Mira Emma. Emma then got in on the goal-scoring in the second half, connecting on a header off an excellent corner from senior Hannah Cade.

Coach Speak
"We've seen our potential, so now it's just figuring out where we can take it from here," said head coach Tony Minatta. "It was great to see the freshmen come in and bring that type of impact. We've been looking for that spark the last couple years. It raises the standard of the rest of the team. It's made for great competition and energy among the team. It was also really valuable to get all 27 players in the math and get everyone a chance to get a feel for game action."

On Deck
Iowa State will play its second and final exhibition match on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. vs. Drake. The match will be played at the Cyclone Sports Complex and admission is free.