The ISU women’s soccer team will finish out its six-game homestand with games against Baylor and Texas Tech this weekend. The Cyclones look to rebound after two conference losses last weekend.

Iowa State (3-7, 0-2) hopes to carry its strong second-half performance from Sunday’s loss against Nebraska into its game against Baylor (4-4-1, 1-1) Friday night. The Cyclones fell down 3-0 early against the Cornhuskers, but bounced back and outshot Nebraska 12-4 in the second half of that game.

“We can play with these big teams,” said junior Kristina Baumann. “Now we just have to put it together for the whole game.”

In many games this season the Cyclones have shown Jekyll and Hyde traits, starting games off slowly and then picking it up in the second half. Iowa State has five goals and 63 shots in the second half of games this season, compared to three goals and 41 shots in the first.

Freshman goalie Jo Haig said that in order to win against the strong teams of the Big 12, the Cyclones need to string together a strong performance from start to finish.

“If you come out and you only play 45 minutes, you’re making your chance of winning really slim,” Haig said.

“That is the difference between a win and a loss in this conference.”

Baylor has won three of its last five games, including a victory against No. 22 Texas last Sunday.

Texas Tech (3-7, 0-2) is currently on a five-game losing streak and will play No. 8 Kansas before taking on Iowa State on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the Aggie’s current losing streak, ISU head coach Rebecca Hornbacher expects both games to be tough for the Cyclones.

“Both teams are very strong right now; they have some great players,” Hornbacher said. “We feel really good about how we match against them.”

As Iowa State’s season progresses, the Cyclones continuously log more shots and allow less per game. The Cyclones have gradually increased their offensive pressure and hope to continue to do so this weekend.

“Our attack is definitely coming together,” Hornbacher said. “We’re seeing it not just from one player, but from a lot of players.”

Defensively, the Cyclones remain confident.

They rank seventh in the Big 12 out of 11 teams, and on average allow 1.4 goals per game.

Haig attributed the Cyclone’s defensive success to players following through with their assignments.

She said the midfielders have cleared the ball better, and that gave their offense better chances up the field.

“Every practice, every game, everything is clicking more and more,” Baumann said. “We’re just getting better and better.”

The Cyclones kick off against Baylor at 7 p.m. Friday and against Texas Tech at 1 p.m. Sunday.