This past weekend for the Iowa State soccer team was ultimately a disappointing one, as the Cyclones dropped both of their matches at the Cyclone Sports Complex to Big 12 opponents Texas Tech and TCU by scores of 2-1 and 3-0 respectively.

Currently sitting at a record of 4-9 on the season with three matches left, Iowa State has a half-and-half situation in regards to this week’s games. The Cyclones first travel to Waco, Texas on Thursday to face Baylor before returning back to Ames for their final home match of the season against Oklahoma.

For Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon, the loss against TCU was another learning point for his young team against a talented squad.

“As a group of women who have played against very good teams consistently, to come up against a team that’s probably the best team I’ve ever coached against and to compete against them was good to see,” Fannon said. “To have a moment of panic and try to claw your way back into it when your mind’s in that place is difficult and I think we struggled with that.”

The Cyclones’ attempt to start strong against the Horned Frogs was overwhelmed by a TCU offense that did exactly that. By halftime, the 11th-ranked squad in the country was up 3-0 and the game already seemed out of reach.

A strong start match will be key for the Cyclones moving forward, as they face off against another attack-minded team like Baylor on Thursday. The Bears are currently at a record of 7-3-5, having drawn their previous two games 0-0 against Kansas State and Texas.

Senior Taylor Moon and sophomore Mackenzie Taylor both rank in the Big 12 Conference’s top-ten list of shots per game, while their defense is also fourth in goals allowed per match.

Iowa State sophomore defender Olivia Edwards spoke on the keys to playing against the Bears.

“Baylor will want to do physical battle and they’re always throwing themselves onto the ball. They’re not the most tactical team, but they want to win and that’s why they’ve had so much success,” Edwards said.

“I think if we can come out strong against Baylor and play our game, we’ll come out on top like we did last year.”

For Fannon, the match looks to be an opportunity to play against a familiar opponent in a different uniform.

“Baylor are a very similar team to Texas Tech,” Fannon said on the upcoming matchup. “They play a different system, but have a similar style of soccer and similarly dangerous players in similar places.”

“They’ll want to win all of the 50-50 chances and we have to be up for that battle. With that in mind, we know that we can do the things that we need to do get in the match and win this game. So I think it’s really important that we let Sunday disappear, learn from it and allow ourselves to play the way we know we can.”

Iowa State kicks off against Baylor at 7 p.m. Thursday and against Oklahoma at 1 p.m. on Sunday.