CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior forward Candice Wilks scored the first goal of the Wildcats' 2004 season Friday night during Arizona's 1-0 win over Iowa State in the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa.

The Arizona soccer team started its season off on the right foot this weekend and got a lot of help from its newest members in winning the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa.

"It was a good start to our season," said second-year head coach Dan Tobias. "Everyone contributed. We started six freshmen and eight new players. It was nice to see us finish our chances early."

Arizona captured the tournament title yesterday by beating Drake 3-0, giving the Wildcats their best start to a season since 2002. The last time the Wildcats started their season off 2-0 after consecutive road games was in 1997.

Junior midfielder Mallory Miller started off the scoring in the 10th minute on an assist by freshman midfielder Nicole Scheid, who notched two assists in her first two games in a Wildcat uniform.

The Wildcats struck again in the 22nd minute with a goal by senior Kamaya Damwijk. Damwijk, a walk-on playing her first season for the Wildcats, scored off a corner kick, with Miller and freshman defender Kaity Heath getting credit for the assists.

Junior Nikki David finished up the scoring for the Wildcats in the second half by putting one past Drake goalkeeper Kate Stack in the 49th minute of play, with assists from Damwijk and Miller. The Wildcat defense held Drake to just one shot in the first half, and only four overall.

In their season opener on Friday night, the Wildcats slipped past tournament host Iowa State, 1-0, on a goal by senior forward Candice Wilks. Her goal was assisted by Scheid in the 14th minute, and it was all the Wildcats would need.

Freshman goalkeeper McCall Smith had the first two shutouts of her career in her first two collegiate games, with a total of four saves. She only had to make one save out of 11 shots by Iowa State. In contrast, nine of the Wildcats' 17 shots were shots on goal.

Veteran players David, Wilks, and Miller were expected to produce, and each came through. The Wildcats also got some help from players who had no collegiate game experience before this weekend. Tobias started six freshmen in both of the games. Tobias put a freshman in as goalkeeper, and three out of four defenders were freshmen as well. Overall, freshmen players and senior Damwijk were responsible for three of the assists, one goal, four saves and two shut outs.

"They were all very steady," Tobias said of Smith and freshmen defenders Claire Bodiya, Heath, and Shaylyn Scott "They got a very good taste of the college game in their first weekend."

The Wildcats return home this week to play host to the Arizona Invitational at Murphey Stadium. Arizona opens its home slate Friday against UC Irvine and Saturday against Fairleigh Dickinson University.