In an effort to rebound from Friday’s 3-0 defeat to Missouri, the ISU soccer team knew it needed to come out energized against No. 25 Kansas on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the intensity only stuck around for the first and last 20 minutes, and the Cyclones fell to the Jayhawks 3-2 in front of a sparse crowd of 266.

“Missouri was a good team, we knew what we were up against, but this was a team we should have beat,” said coach Wendy Dillinger. “We keep letting opportunities slip away, games we should win.”

Losing for the third consecutive game, the Cyclones encapsulated their inconsistency early on this season into one match.

Iowa State got off to a quick lead with an Elise Reid goal off a rebound at the top of the box in the 10th minute. The midfield held possession until Kansas put in its first goal in the 19th minute.

Over the next 30 minutes, the Cyclones proceeded to allow two more goals, forcing the team into an uphill battle for the rest of the game.

Almost in sync with the first Jayhawk goal entering the net, the Cyclones’ energy dropped off and goalkeeper Ann Gleason was forced to fend off 22 shots.

With 12 saves on Friday and eight saves on Sunday, Gleason is being hung out to dry as the ISU energy level is riding roller coasters.

“For some reason, we let down after the first goal, and we just didn’t keep the intensity up,” Gleason said.

A glimmer of intensity returned as freshman defender Emily Hejlik added a goal in the 76th minute from almost 35 yards out off a dish from Lauren Fader.

The goal put Iowa State back into the game, creating a flurry of action in the last 15 minutes.

Despite putting tremendous pressure on the Jayhawk goalkeeper, Iowa State couldn’t add another tally to the total.

Sunday marked the second time in three games in which the Cyclones scored an early goal, only to see the opposing team score three unanswered goals.

“This team rides the wave of success. We score a goal early and that continues for 10 to 15 minutes,” Dillinger said. “Then we don’t produce a goal right a way, we kind of back down and the other team takes advantage. That was the case against Iowa and in the game against South Dakota State.”

Dillinger addressed a number of issues for the team this week, including improving the players’ first touch on the ball, tightening the defense and having the midfielders mark better in set pieces.

While it wasn’t all bad news for ISU soccer on Sunday, with strong set pieces and great play from Gleason, the schedule doesn’t get any easier.

This weekend the Cyclones head to the Lone Star State for a Friday match against Baylor, followed by a showdown with the No. 9 ranked Texas Longhorns on Sunday. Sitting at 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12, Iowa State will need a boost during the month of October in order to have a shot at one of the eight slots for the Big 12 Conference Tournament.