Halfway through a tough Big 12 schedule, arguably the most crucial weekend of the season is up next for the ISU soccer team.

The Cyclones (7-5-3, 2-2-1 Big 12) will first have the task of taking on conference leader Texas A&M (11-2-1, 5-1-0 Big 12) on Friday night, followed by their final scheduled home game against last-place Baylor (7-7-2, 0-5-1 Big 12) on Sunday. Both games will be played at the ISU Soccer Complex.

With her team currently sitting in seventh place in the Big 12, coach Rebecca Hornbacher said this weekend will determine a lot about how the conference will finish out toward the end of the season. Only the top eight teams will advance to the conference tournament.

The Aggies enter the game on a five-game conference unbeaten streak. They have outscored their opponents 14-4 during that span and boast the nation’s 11th-ranked scoring offense. They are led by senior forward Ashlee Pistorius, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals and dishing two assists in victories over No. 1 Texas and Colorado last weekend.

Hornbacher said Pistorius, the nation’s second-leading scorer and Big 12 career leader in goals, is one of many talented players that the Cyclones will need to contain in order to beat A&M.

“We just have to be very organized defensively and we have to try to keep some of their key players out of it by limiting their amount of shots and we also have to go at them. We have to create opportunities to score and not sit back and just defend them,” Hornbacher said. “I think a lot of teams might go out there and try to do that. We have to go out there and try to put the ball in the back of the net too.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Baylor enters the weekend on a five-game losing streak and is still in search of their first conference win. Despite their struggles, Hornbacher said she stresses to her team that no Big 12 opponent can be taken lightly.

“Baylor is a quality team. They’re on a losing streak right now, but all of those games have been very close matches,” Hornbacher said. “They’re going to be competitive and it’s always a battle when we play them.”

The last four games between the Bears and Cyclones played at the ISU Soccer Complex have gone into at least one overtime.

With such important games, Hornbacher said the Cyclones are “fortunate” to be able to play them both on their home turf, where they are 4-1-1 this season.

Goalkeeper Ann Gleason agrees.

“It’s always great to play with your own fans and on your own field. We’re used to it because we practice on it, so we know the width, we know the length of the grass – those are always a big help,” Gleason said.

As they suit up on Friday night, Iowa State will be trying to halt a three-game losing skid. Senior co-captain Brittanie Waddell said she has seen a rejuvenated squad on the practice field this week and feels the team is ready to go for the final five conference games.

“I feel like we’re a lot more focused. We’ve gotten past our weekend that was a little tough on us and now we’re just focused to win the rest of the Big 12,” Waddell said.

“As a senior, it’s hard not to try to get everyone focused and refocused, especially for the last five games because for the seniors this is the last season. We don’t have anything to come back to for next year so it’s all or nothing for us.”