After a Courtney Powell second half goal saw the Cyclones defeat Oklahoma on Oct. 9, they now set their sights on an in form Texas team. The 1-0 victory against the Sooners improved Iowa State’s record to 2-3 as it looks to improve to a .500 record against the 2-3 Longhorns.

The Cyclones’ win against the Sooners saw sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz earn her second Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, and senior forward Courtney Powell net her first goal of the season. 

Silkowitz has been very important for the Cyclones this year as she kept her first clean sheet of her collegiate career and has a total of 25 saves. While she has been huge in goal for the Cyclones, she credits her performances to her coaches and teammates first.

“It’s super awesome. I’m very thankful and grateful but I couldn’t do it without all my coaches and teammates behind me,” Silkowitz said. “They help push me and the biggest thing was getting the win last week.”

Powell was also crucial in the win against Oklahoma as she put the game-winning goal in the back of the net in the 64th minute. Her game-winning score marked her first goal of the season and Powell is determined to net more as the season continues. 

“I was hoping to get one a little bit sooner but it’s kind of like a weight off my shoulder and I feel like I have some confidence to keep getting more,” Powell said. “It was one of those things where I was in the right place at the right time.”

Both the Cyclones and the Longhorns have been in goal-scoring form this season as the Cyclones continue to improve in the attacking third and the Longhorns put seven goals past Kansas State last weekend. With both teams being dangers in front of goal, Iowa State Head Coach Matt Fannon knows this will be a big game in the course of the season. 

“The records add a bit of spice, there’s going to be a bit of separation after the game,” Fannon said. “We want to make sure it’s us moving forward, so we know it’s a big game, we know that we want to be part of the top group and not the middle group.”

With both sides sitting at the same 2-3 record, Fannon knows this game will be important for both sides but is also not trying to focus on the opponent too much. 

“I don’t think we spend as much time as maybe people would assume worrying about what Texas will do,” Fannon said. “We will have a scouting report and will be very specific but we’re going to worry about us.”

Despite the Longhorns’ goal-scoring form, both Fannon and his players are adamant on worrying about themselves and preparing for each game differently. 

Silkowitz also believes the Cyclone defense has been very strong recently and is confident they can contain the Longhorns on Friday.

“Honestly I think our defense, going from last game, has been super solid,” Silkowitz said. “We’re obviously continuing to work on soak details that we need to fix to get that much better but I’m very confident in our gameplay and my teammates.”

The Cyclones will host the Texas Longhorns at home Friday with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will also be available to broadcast via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.