The road to a conference championship will not come easy for the ISU women’s soccer team, which opens Big 12 Tournament competition against No. 1 seed Kansas at 11 a.m. Wednesday in San Antonio.

The Jayhawks shut out Iowa State 4-0, last Friday.

The Cyclones (8-11, 4-6) earned the No. 8 seed in the tournament after not qualifying last season. Before their most recent win, a 6-1 victory over Iowa, Iowa State had failed to score a goal in its previous three games.

Kansas (16-3, 8-2) is 6-3 all-time against the Cyclones and has won the previous four meetings.

“We were flat when we played against Kansas,” said coach Rebecca Hornbacher. “Kansas is a great team, but I don’t think we put together a solid 90 minutes of soccer.”

Despite the loss to the Jayhawks, Iowa State has boasted one of the toughest defenses in the conference. The Cyclones have allowed only 25 opponent goals this season, which is a new single-season record.

Goalie Joanna Haig ranks second in the Big 12 with 91 saves and was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team this week.

Offensively, Iowa State is led by juniors Kristina Baumann and Amy Flores.

Baumann and Flores both have 12 points on the season with four goals and four assists each. Sophomore Kate Kirwan has nine points, with three goals and three assists.

The Big 12 named Baumann Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Flores said it is important to respect their opponent but still come out swinging.

“We have a lot of respect for them, but we didn’t play to our fullest potential on Friday,” Flores said. “We’re looking forward to meeting them again, and it’s going to be a fight.”

Seeing Kansas for the second time could be an advantage for Iowa State — but Kansas knows what to expect too.

“It’s nice that we’ve seen them before, and we know what to expect going into the game,” Flores said. “Hopefully we can use that to our advantage, and play them tough.”

Kansas has very strong offensive production, led by Caroline Smith, who has nine goals and seven assists for 25 points on the season. Right behind her is Rachel Gilfillan with, eight goals, and Nicole Cauzillo, with four goals.

Defensively, the Jayhawks have stacked up well against every opponent they have faced this season, giving up only six goals. They have 13 shutouts on the season.

The stiff defense is led by goalie Meghan Miller, who has 79 saves and an overall record of 13-3.

Hornbacher said the opportunity to knock off a ranked team and earn an NCAA automatic bid for winning the tournament is one that she doesn’t want to let slip away.

“[The players] know they have an opportunity, and this is what they prepare for year round,” Hornbacher said.