After losing back-to-back games that could have gone either way, the Iowa State Cyclones will have a packed weekend, as they are set to face Creighton away Friday and Omaha at home Sunday. 

The Cyclones fell short against the University of Iowa and Purdue this past weekend, losing both games 2-1. Both games went down to the final whistle, but ultimately it was not a weekend to remember for the Cyclones.  

Despite not getting the results the team had wanted, coach Tony Minatta does not seem to be in a panic over the two losses.

“I don’t look at any game as a ‘must-win,’” Minatta said. “I just look at it as ‘we need to continue to play better.’”

The quality displayed in the second half against Iowa and the first half against Purdue shows signs of what the Cyclones are capable of when playing their best football.

“If you take the second half against Iowa and the first half against Purdue and put that game together, we’re going to be in a situation to win a lot of games,” Minatta said.

The Cyclones were able to dictate the match from the back and effectively attack on the counter when playing at their best, but they have been unable to consistently perform this way. 

Coach Minatta mentioned consistency as a key factor for this weekend, as the Cyclones will have only one day of rest in between their Friday and Sunday matches. 

“You can’t chase wins,” Minatta said. “[We] just have to work on playing to the standard that we’ve set for ourselves, which we’ve shown the ability to do but not consistently.”

Although the Cyclones may need a run of consistency to get back on track, their confidence is still very high. 

Junior goalkeeper Dayja Schwichtenberg also mentioned the dip in consistency from the team.

“At the end of the day it’s really just about staying composed and going forward; we just need to make sure we’re keeping the energy up and communicating with each other,” Schwichtenberg said.

The Cyclones have put together some great attacking performances and have scored some amazing goals so far this season, one of which comes from senior midfielder Hannah Cade last time out against Purdue. 

“I think that game was really good to build our confidence in the attack,” Cade said.

Cade was able to find the top left corner from beyond the 18 yard box to put the Cyclones ahead before halftime, but ultimately her goal was not enough to earn the victory. 

The Cyclones will need to play with consistency and determination if they are to come away with two wins this weekend, but Cade is not worried. 

“I think that we’ll do well,” Cade said. “We just came off of two really close and hard-fought games that everyone felt upset after because we didn’t come out on top, so I think that energy will go into the next two games.”

Iowa State will look to end their two-game losing streak this weekend at 4:30 p.m. Friday away at Creighton, and at 2 p.m. Sunday as they face Omaha at home.