It’s the beginning of a new season for ISU soccer after a roller-coaster non-conference season that saw the team upset a top-10 team but also fall to teams that the team feels like it should beat.

“It’s a continuation, obviously, but the opponents are more familiar,” said ISU coach Tony Minatta. “They’re definitely rivalries and there is a heightened level of intensity in the games because each game means so much more.”

Iowa State ended the non-conference portion of its schedule 5-4. The Cyclones appeared to be cruising through the early part of their schedule, before hitting a rough patch that saw the them lose three of their last four contests.

They turned things around just in time for conference play, as they disposed off their final non-conference opponent, Drake, providing a much-needed boost going into Big 12 play.

“We obviously struggled a little bit right before Drake, so having the team come together and work really hard is good,” said forward Adalie Schmidt. “It’s going to give us a lot of momentum going forward.”

The win reaffirmed the team’s confidence, which suffered a hit in recent weeks. After defeating then-No. 10 Pepperdine, the Cyclones struggled to return to that high level.

The win against Drake was a step toward getting back to that point.

“It was definitely a big step for us,” said freshman Emily Steil. “It just proves to us again that we can score goals and we can compete.”

The first Big 12 opponent on the Cyclones’ schedule is TCU on Friday, which will be followed with a match against Oklahoma on Sunday. Both matches are on the road, a familiar situation for the Cyclones, who have had just one home game so far this season.

Regardless of the opponent or the location, the Cyclones have their work cut out for them. After winning just one game in conference play last season, the Cyclones know how tough the Big 12 can be.

“We were picked [to finish] last [in the conference],” Minatta said. “We didn’t have a strong showing in conference play last year. I think that [the team’s] mindset is a little different in that they want to prove something.”

Iowa State missed out on the Big 12 tournament in 2014 and has its sights set on getting in the tournament this season. 

An up-and-down non-conference season may have prepared the Cyclones to do just that. Minatta said he felt like the team came into Big 12 play overconfident after a strong non-conference performance last season.

That won’t be the case this year.

“We’ve proven we can compete with and beat some of the best teams in the country,” Minatta said. “But we’ve also proven that with a mental lapse we can lose to a team that’s not to that level, like Pepperdine.”

The Cyclones get a chance to get back to that high level of play at 7 p.m. Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, against the Horned Frogs.