ISU Set to Host Baylor and Kansas

AMES, Iowa-The Iowa State soccer team (5-6, 0-2 Big 12) will host its first home conference games of the season this weekend. The Cyclones will take on Baylor (6-4-1, 1-0 Big 12) on Friday night at 7 p.m.and then close out the weekend with Kansas coming on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Cyclones' game on Friday will be a Food Truck Rodeo. There will be a variety of local food trucks at the game including Carlos' Quesadillas, Eat It!, Macubana and Finley's Curbside Bistro. Sunday'sgame will be Military Appreciation Day. All four branches of Iowa State's ROTC programs will be there putting on pregame activities and also be competing in a tug-of-war competition at halftime. There will also be a special raffle for fans that show their military ID at the marketing table.

Last Time Out
The Cyclones dropped a pair of road games last weekend to open the Big 12 season. On Friday, Iowa State fell to the TCU Horned Frogs, and on Sunday, the Cyclones were topped by Oklahoma.

Scouting the Bears
Baylor is riding a six-game winning streak after starting the season 0-4-1 and the Bears have only allowed two goals during the streak. Much of Baylor's success can be accredited to the freshman class. Three different Bears (Sarah King, Lauren Piercy and Jackie Crowther) have earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors, and freshman Sarah King leads the conference with nine assists.

What to Watch For
Iowa State returns home to try to shut down a Baylor team that has really hit their stride in a crucial Big 12 matchup. Look for the Cyclone leaders to step up and take control of this game. Senior Haley Albert has been quiet of late after scoring three goals in the first five games. Albert has had many shots and headers that have either been stopped by impressive saves or have gone off the crossbar.

Scouting the Jayhawks
Kansas (5-4-1, 0-0 Big 12) will open their conference season at home on Friday against Texas before coming to Ames. The Jayhawks rely on their stout defensive play that has only allowed more than one goal twice this season. Experience is the strong suit for Kansas' offensive attack. Senior forwards Ashley Williams and Liana Salazar lead the team in points (6) and Salazar leads the team with three goals. Junior forward Ashley Pankey is getting into the scoring mix of late. Pankey earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after her performance last weekend where she scored her first two goals of her career in a matter of five minutes against South Dakota State.

What to Watch For
Iowa State and Kansas both look for their defenses to be the backbone of their squads in order to be victorious. Watch for this contest to be a back-and-forth game with strong defensive play. The heart of the Cyclone defense of Madi Ott, Kourtney Camy, and goalkeeper Lindsey Hendon will need a strong outing, while the Iowa State offense will need to take advantage of the opportunities that arise.

Fans can follow Iowa State soccer's twitter account (@cycloneSCR) for live updates on the game. Check cyclones.com for results after the conclusion of the game.

Players Mentioned

Haley Albert

Kourtney Camy

Lindsey Hendon

Madi Ott

Sponsors

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