After a promising start in non-conference play that saw ISU soccer build up a record of 6-4, Iowa State has been eliminated from a shot at the Big 12 tournament after dropping the first seven conference games.

The Cyclones (6-11, 0-7 Big 12) will take the field for the last time this season against Texas Christian on Oct. 31.

With the Cyclones being out of the tournament picture, ISU coach Tony Minatta and his team are already looking ahead to the future of ISU soccer and using this final game as a chance to prepare for spring soccer and ultimately next season.

“From what I can sense from the younger players is that they want their opportunities. They want to be on the field and erase what happened this season,” Minatta said. “We had a lot of freshman step up over the weekend and play really well, so we want to get another opportunity to get them on the field together and get some looks at that and see what we’re looking at going into this spring,”

This season has been frustrating, as the Cyclones came close to winning multiple Big 12 games but have never quite been able to get over the hump.

Four of Iowa State’s seven losses in conference play have been by a single goal. The Cyclones also failed to score a single goal in the first five games of conference play.

The Cyclones hope to put those struggles behind them and finish off the season in a way that will set them up to be successful in future seasons.

“We’ve actually been playing really good soccer, there has just been no consistency from game to game,” Minatta said. “So if we can come together and play consistently, and the last thing we actually remember is a nice solid win, that would be fantastic for us.”

The future is bright for the Cyclones, however, as the team returns a number of core players, including leading goal scorer Koree Willer, second leading goal scorer Adalie Schmidt and defensive anchors Kourtney Camy, Madi Ott and Haley Albert.

“I definitely think it’s all about moving forward, ending on a high note to set us up for the future,” Willer said of the final game. “It doesn’t necessarily make up for anything, but it definitely puts you in mental state for the future.”

As the younger players regroup and set their sights on next season, the team’s seniors prepare for life without soccer.

Minatta said he thinks the seniors will be “relaxed,” knowing that there is no pressure that comes with this final game. They can just go out and play hard, he said.

While the underclassmen are focused on ending their season on a high note to lead into next season, they also want send their seniors off on the right foot.

“We need to give them a good last memory, because this is going to be their lasting memory for a long time after their soccer careers,” said sophomore Madi Ott.

Iowa State will take on TCU at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 at the Cyclone Sports Complex.