Iowa State Returns to Big 12 Championship to Take on Oklahoma

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Iowa State soccer team (10-7-1, 3-4-1 Big 12) is all set to return to the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2013. The Cyclone squad qualified for the tournament as the fifth seed after being the one team left out the two previous years and being unanimously selected for a last place finish in the preseason poll.

Head coach Tony Minatta was the interim coach during the 2013 trip. He talked about what it means to make the 10th appearance to the conference tournament in school history.

"It was nice that we weren't relying on someone else to lose in order for us to get in," Minatta said. "We got that road win at No. 24 Baylor, at the time, to seal it for us and give us our third win in the conference. To go from 0-8 to a 3-4-1 record, and the fifth seed when we were picked to finish last speaks volume for the work these players have put in during this time and the dedication and commitment that maintained throughout the entire season. It's not easy to go the whole season and maintain that level of success and dedication, but they proved it this year."

Iowa State will take on the fourth seed Oklahoma Sooners (12-5-2, 4-3-1 Big 12) at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City. Senior Liz Keester is the heart and soul of the Sooners. She has scored a team-high eight goals this season, which places her in the top-five in the league. Fellow senior Madison Saliba has come up big during Big 12 play. Saliba finished the regular season tied for the lead in conference goals with three. Saliba was one of three Sooners to find the back of the net in Ames in Oklahoma's 3-0 victory on September 30th. Oklahoma came out on top in the first meeting, but a lot has changed for both teams since that matchup.

"Oklahoma is a team that doesn't really deviate from what their playing style is," Minatta said. "They are going to come out in the same formation, they are very disciplined and very organized, they are just very good at what they do. We have to limit goal scoring chances for them. I think we gave up too many easy looks the last time that we played them. We did have some good attacks and good opportunities, but were going to have to work to break that defense down and get better opportunities for ourselves and just play a complete game. I think when we played them in Ames on that Friday night we didn't play a complete game and we had a couple mental lapses. We need to stay engaged for the full 90 minutes and beyond if it goes that route. Our identity has been defending all year, with 10 shutouts, and we need to have that going into that game."

As Minatta noted, the Cyclone defense will be the key for the Cyclones to advance to the semifinal. Iowa State hasn't fared well in previous trips to the Big 12 Championship, posting a 0-8-2 record and advancing to the second round once, on penalty kicks in 1999. Junior goalkeeper Lindsey Hendon enters the postseason tourney with the conference lead in saves and she is also tied for eighth in the NCAA with a school-record 10 shutouts. The shutout is at utmost importance since Iowa State has only come out on top in one game this season when the opponent has scored (3-1 win over Creighton).

The Cyclones have even more to play for than just making a deep run in the conference tournament. Iowa State came in at No. 39 in the RPI rankings that were released on Mondayand Oklahoma is at a top-10 mark (9th). The selection show for the NCAA Tournament is right around the corner and getting a result in Kansas City would be a big step in solidifying the Cyclones' chance of returning to the tournament for the second time ever (2005). Iowa State has already put together one of its best seasons all-time after beating two top-25 teams on the road and getting three always important conference wins, but these ladies aren't done yet.

"The season has obviously been successful when you look back at it," Minatta said. "Oddly enough, one of the main turning points is when we went and played Florida and lost 5-2. The team really felt that they defended well, but you could just see that they weren't satisfied with that result and unhappy. They made a big point to atone for that. I think the big moment was on the road at Oklahoma State. Winning that game on the road proved to them that they could do it and it gave them confidence moving forward. It's a big year. Ten shutouts and an opportunity to get back to the Big 12 Championship with a chance to potentially get an NCAA bid. We're in a really good position and we just need to keep moving forward."

Iowa State has a chance to make that next step forward against Oklahoma on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Fans planning on making the trip to Kansas City can find more information on the Big 12 Championship and can purchase tickets at Big12Sports.com. For those fans who aren't able to make it, the game will be streamed on the Big 12 Digital Network. Iowa State would take on the winner of West Virginia and Texas Tech on Friday at 4:30 p.m. if they defeat Oklahoma. Fans can follow all of the action by following Iowa State Soccer (@CycloneSCR) on Twitter.