Two losses on the opening weekend of conference play might look bad on paper, but Hayley Womack can look past that.

After being down 2-0 against Texas Tech last Friday, the Cyclones (6-6, 0-2 Big 12) bounced back with less than 10 minutes left in the second half after Haley Albert put home a header off of a Jennifer Dominguez corner kick. In the end, the Red Raiders held off the ISU attack, which ended the match with 11 of Texas Tech’s 12 shots on frame.

“There was a big crowd, and we were all pumped up to play, so it was a hard loss to take, and we’re still kind of pissed off about it, so we just want to go in and get a win in the conference and just kind of build to the last couple of games,” Womack said. “We have to try and put it in our past, but we can also use it to take out on Kansas a little bit.”

Putting last weekend in the rearview, Iowa State is set to welcome Kansas on Friday at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The Cyclones have not defeated the Jayhawks (5-5-1) since 2010, losing by a combined score of 10-2 in the last two years.

Against Texas Tech, ISU coach Wendy Dillinger said the unorthodox formation gave her team some problems early on and is something she will try not to let happen against the Jayhawks.

“They really utilize the space and stretch the backline, so the key for us is to force play to one side of the field, keep it compact and don’t let them switch it on us,” Dillinger said. “Also knowing who their key players are, shutting them down and counterattacking when we win the ball.”

Also on the weekend slate is in-state rival Drake. Last season, Iowa State took home a win against the Bulldogs 3-0.

Since Drake is a smaller school than Iowa State, it can be easy for a Division I team to overlook a Bulldog team that has only notched two wins this season.

“They’re a smaller school, but never take a team lightly,” Womack said. “They’re from Iowa, so we want to make sure we get all the wins we can against Iowa teams and show them that we’re from the Big 12.”

Last season, Drake earned 11 wins en route to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game.

“This year, they are doing well, but they aren’t getting the results they wanted,” Dillinger said. “In our sport, anything can happen, and it’s not always the best who wins.”