Consistency is the key to success, and Iowa State is starting to find consistency in its performances for the first time all year. 

The Cyclones (2-6-1) head into this weekend’s matchups against Texas and Baylor needing victories to start their push for an NCAA Tournament appearance. After multiple performances against ranked teams did not yield wins, coach Tony Minatta has faith that his team has what it takes to compete. 

“We are battle tested,” Minatta said. “They’re playing against the best teams in the country, so they’re not going to be intimidated by a jersey going into these games.

“At the end of the day, everyone is zero wins and zero losses in conference play.”

The Longhorns enter Friday’s contest at 8-0-0 overall, just a year after finishing bottom of the Big 12. Texas is ranked No. 17 in this week’s top 25 poll, despite not having any wins over top 25 teams.

The Cyclones feel as though their tough non-conference schedule, in which they played against two top 10 opponents in Florida and Southern Cal, has prepared them for success the rest of the season. 

Junior midfielder Emily Steil is happy with the schedule they’ve played.

“I think it was huge for us just to be prepared [for the Big 12],” Steil said. “We know what to do going into the Big 12 and we’re super excited.”

It will be strength versus strength when the Cyclones play their defense-first style against Texas’ attacking 4-3-3. Leading goalscorer and sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen provides the spark for the Longhorns, who have scored at a rate of 1.88 goals per game. Iowa State’s backline has to be wary of the problems a U.S. Youth National Team player can cause.

On the injury front, the Cyclones received news this week regarding the status of freshman forward Courtney Powell. After concerns she broke her wrist Sunday against Florida, Minatta said that Powell would be good to go for this weekend’s games. Senior midfielder Stella Maris Strohman will miss this weekend’s action due to a concussion. 

“Powell’s wrist is not broken,” Minatta said. “So she’s got it wrapped up and she practiced, so we’ll be able to play her.”

One area of the pitch to keep an eye on this weekend is the battle between freshman Dayja Schwichtenberg and sophomore Antonia Reyes for the starting goalkeeper role. The past three games, Reyes has started the first half with Schwichtenberg playing the second half. 

Reyes is proud of her performances.

“It builds a lot of confidence not just with me but with the team,” Reyes said. “They can rely on me, and I can rely on them.”

The Cyclones will play with a chip on their shoulder this weekend to prove opposing Big 12 coaches wrong. Despite finishing fifth the year before, Iowa State was picked to finish ninth by its peers.

“We know we are performing way better,” Reyes said. “The other coaches may not see it but as a team, we see it and the coaches believe in us.”

While the Cyclones are not looking ahead to Baylor just yet, the Bears will provide a formidable challenge. Baylor is 6-1-1, and is heavily reliant on a defense that has produced five clean sheets in just eight games this season and yielded only three goals in total. 

The Bears have made their home field, Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field, a fortress this season, winning all four games played there and scoring nine of their 14 goals in Waco, Texas. 

This weekend’s games will be another test for Iowa State, but the past two weeks have proven that the Cyclones are ready for the challenge.