The ISU soccer team kicks off Big 12 play this weekend in Ames, with games against Texas on Friday and South Dakota on Sunday.

The Cyclones (7-3) are coming off a pair of wins last weekend and have won four of their last five games overall.

The Cyclones defeated South Dakota State and UW-Milwaukee last weekend, giving them seven wins in nonconference play so far this season, which is second-best 10 games into a season in the program’s history.

“I think that we’ve been able to clear up a lot of the small mistakes that we were making throughout pre-Big 12 play,” said ISU junior Jessica Stewart. “We’re really confident going into conference. We still have a lot to learn, especially going against a lot of the bigger, faster teams, but I think we have a good start going into it.”

Texas (3-6-1) enters the ISU Soccer Complex on Friday night as Iowa State’s first conference foe of the season. Although the Longhorns have struggled a fair amount in nonconference play this year, they have dominated the all-time series with the Cyclones by a 16-2 margin.

The two teams met in Austin, Texas, last September, with the Longhorns prevailing 2-1.

ISU coach Wendy Dillinger stressed the importance of preparation and how they were incorporating it into in practice this week.

“We’re going to watch a lot of Texas video to get ready, see what we’re going to expect,” Dillinger said. “Details in terms of how we need to play, how we need to defend them and how we’re going to attack them. That’s the key: just being prepared.”

The Cyclones will meet South Dakota (1-6-2) for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon. The Coyotes have had a difficult time finding success this season, having won only one of their first nine games and owning a 0-5-1 road record.

The Cyclones’ success in nonconference play has prepared them well for the treachery of the Big 12 schedule, in terms of both confidence and ability.

The three teams the Cyclones have lost to this season now combine for a 25-2-1 record, with San Diego State and Virginia Tech being ranked in the top 15 nationally.

“We’ve been playing solid teams all along, so that’s really good,” Stewart said. “It’s going to set us up well.”

Eight of the nine teams in the Big 12 currently own winning records this season, with Texas being the lone exception. The Cyclones, who have the fourth-best record in the conference, plan to take nothing lightly in the coming weeks.

“We are in a tough conference and we’ve got great teams everywhere,” said ISU junior Jennifer Dominguez. “We’re not going to find an easy game down the road the rest of the way, so we’re just going to have to battle, compete and just raise the level.”

The Cyclones are set to kick off against Texas at 7 p.m. on Friday and against South Dakota at noon on Sunday.