The weekend before classes, the ISU women’s soccer team took a trip down to Mississippi to play Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The Cyclones won and lost against the Bulldogs and Rebels respectively, but they laid a foundation for the upcoming season.

“A lot of players stepped up. You can’t teach competitiveness and resolve and determination, which we showed a heck of a lot of this weekend,” said head coach Tony Minatta. “If we have that going forward, we’ll get sharp and overcome injuries. But I really like what I saw. I think we have a lot to work on, but we’re starting out with a good base.”

Iowa State lost junior Haley Albert in the first half with a rolled ankle, as well as freshman Maribell Morales with a possible separated shoulder. Minatta said it took them awhile to get reorganized.

Although the Cyclones were bogged down with injuries, other players stepped up. Sophomore Adalie Schmidt came off the bench against Mississippi State and scored two goals, leading to a 5-1 victory. Minatta said freshman Kaley Nieters also stepped up and will now play a big role on the field.

“It’s good to have the players get more experience early in the season so that when we get to Big 12 [play] we have more players that have played,” Minatta said.

A big takeaway from the weekend was the fact that Iowa State went into Mississippi State in front of a record-breaking crowd and got a win as well as showing that they could compete against a NCAA tournament team in Ole Miss. The foundation is set and the Cyclones are ready to raise the stakes this year.

Iowa State finished fourth overall in the Big 12 tournament last year and now have its sights set on going even further.

“We’re expecting to go to the Big 12 tournament and finish higher than we did last season,” said redshirt senior Margaret Powers. “We want to continue to raise the standard and go to the NCAA tournament.”

Senior Andrea Swanson said this year differs from previous seasons because the core focus is based on competitiveness and positivity. Along with that comes the process, which is another thing that Minatta preaches.

“[Minatta’s] big thing is ‘No matter what the result is, we focus on the process,’” Powers said. “When we win, you don’t get too high. When we lose, you don’t get too low. I think that will keep us at a good pace moving forward.”

Iowa State will continue with its sights set on its next opponent, USC. It will face the Trojans at 4 p.m. Aug. 29 in South Bend, Ind.