By Pat Brown

Daily Staff Writer

Seven games ago, Iowa State struggled to a 1-5 record, including four straight road losses. Since then, the team has posted a 5-2 record and climbed to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12. The Cyclones’ six wins already eclipses their win total throughout all of last season.

Still, goals set by the players have impressed the ISU coaching staff enough to expect even more.

“I’m not comfortable,” head coach Rebecca Hornbacher said. “We’re not happy with where we’re at; we set a high standard for ourselves.

The team is responsible for that expectation, Hornbacher said.

“They set the standards high, and I commend them for that,” she said. “I’ve always believed in them.”

Players and coaches both agree that the turning point of their season came just a few weeks ago in the midst of a six-game home stand. Iowa State lost to Colorado, falling to 0-1 in the conference. The Cyclones next opponent, Nebraska, jumped to a quick 3-0 lead going into the half.

That’s where Iowa State’s season changed.

The Cyclones stormed back to within 3-2 and created many chances to tie the game. Although they lost that matchup, they’ve won three straight games since that afternoon.

“We played an amazing second half against Nebraska and haven’t let down since then,” freshman goalkeeper Joanna Haig said. “From then on, we’ve played some very, very good soccer.”

Perhaps the most important lesson the players have learned is one that is often forgotten throughout the sporting world: They’re enjoying themselves on and off the field while putting in solid, quality efforts in training.

“There’s a lot of chemistry right now; this is a great team,” said junior forward Amy Flores. “We have fun together, we play well together, and we’re gelling right now.”

The chemistry that the Cyclones have finally found wasn’t easy to achieve — but it made getting there much more rewarding.

“There’s been rough patches, at the beginning, particularly,” Flores said. “Everything that we’ve been through to this point has made us who we are right now.”

Flores’ play has sparked the team with four goals in the last three games, propelling Iowa State to wins over Baylor, Texas Tech and Missouri. Her recent hot streak has taken the pressure off Iowa State’s younger players, who had scored nearly all the goals.

The biggest transformation in the Cyclones season thus far is how they approach the game.

“We were coming into each game on our heels, waiting to see what they were going to bring at us,” Haig said. “Now we go out there and take it to whomever we’re playing.”

Haig has made her presence felt in the Big 12 as well, leading the defense to its fourth shutout of the season Sunday, while getting credit for her second this year.

Haig has not allowed a goal in her last 228:18 of play for Iowa State, and she ranks third in the league with 56 saves this season. The Big 12 named her defensive player of the week for the week of Oct. 11.

The youth and experience have combined for the Cyclones in a way that seems different than in years past.

“The young players and the older players are really coming together well,” Hornbacher said. “Our whole team is just getting stronger.”

It is the little things that the Cyclones want to continue to keep winning.

“Right now, we’re having good training sessions, and the girls are working hard,” Hornbacher said. “We’re getting them the rest they need so we can be really sharp.”