AMES – Following its fifth loss of the season against No. 4 Northern Iowa, No. 12 Iowa State heads south in preparation for No. 25 Missouri. 

The Cyclones close the regular season, seeking their 12th win and sixth in Big 12 conference play.

“As a coach and as an athlete, you win a lot more when you lose than when you win,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “When you try to throw in surprises, things don’t always go your way.”

Iowa State has won three of the last seven matchups between the two teams, including a 41-3 margin in the previous meeting at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones defeated then-No. 11 South Dakota State 20-15 in their last out-of-state road dual.

Against Missouri, Iowa State is expected to start a majority of familiar faces. After missing weight at 125, sophomore Ethan Perryman is set to make a return. 

“There’s definitely a silver lining to our last performance,” Dresser said. “Dual meets like that lead to a lot of sleepless nights, but it’s important to reflect on them and move forward.”

The usual candidates are expected to return at 133 and 141. Having snapped an 11-match win steak at 141, sophomore Jacob Frost is expected to face off against No. 16 Josh Edmond. Jacob’s twin brother Evan is expected to wrestle at 133. 

“I made a couple of mistakes in there against Northern Iowa,” Jacob Frost said. “There were a lot of positives and good lessons that I learned from that.”

Having lost his first dual matchup of the year at 149, sophomore Paniro Johnson is expected to face off against one of his only unranked opponents in Missouri’s Logan Gioffre. 

Johnson’s loss against Northern Iowa came by sudden victory, only his second dual matchup to include a fourth period. 

“If you’re going to win, you have to wrestle like a professional,” Dresser said. “Every week, it requires discipline.”

Ahead of Saturday’s dual, Dresser has reflected on the current state of the lineup. Without a handful of experienced veterans, the road ahead will not be easy. 

“Every now and again, I look back and see guys like [Yonger] Bastida, [Casey] Swiderski and [Anthony] Echemendia sitting back and cheering on the younger guys,” Dresser said. “Seeing those guys cheering wasn’t what I imagined in November, but the silver lining is that the other guys are getting reps.”

The Missouri lineup is rounded out at 174 and 184 with two top-10 opponents in top-ranked Keegan O’Toole and No. 9 Colton Hawks. Sophomore MJ Gaitan is expected to face off against O’Toole in his highest-ranked matchup of the season. 

“There won’t be a guy that lays down for you at any weight,” Jacob Frost said. “Every week, they’re going to throw a guy out there that wants to kill you and that’s just how it goes.”

Saturday’s competition is expected to close with freshman Daniel Herrera and Missouri’s No. 24 ranked Seth Nitzel. Both heavyweight opponents boast winning records ahead of the dual. 

Iowa State’s final regular season dual is scheduled for noon on Saturday. The matchup will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.