CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore midfielder Mallory Miller traps the ball during action last season. The Cats open up play tonight against Iowa State at Murphey Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Dan Tobias is here to prove he can take the reigns from Cathy Klein's toppled regime and guide Arizona soccer to the promised land.

Tobias and the Wildcats get a chance to tear down the statue against another of Klein's former schools as they open the season against Iowa State in the Arizona Invitational. The tournament will also feature Kent State and Weber State making the trip to Tucson.

"It doesn't matter who we play," said lone-senior Lindsey Greenwood. "Any team, it doesn't matter which conference. We play everyone the same."

Greenwood is the only member of Arizona to have faced the Cyclones before ÷ when she played for the University of Nebraska ÷ but she feels this game is no different.

Arizona kicks off its season against Iowa State tonight at 7:30 p.m. after the Golden Flashes and the non-Arizona Wildcats from Utah open the tournament at 5 p.m.

Going one game into the Big XII Tournament was the highlight of the season for the Cyclones, as then-interim head coach Rebecca Hornbacher took them to 7-11-1 before losing to Texas, 4-1. The Cyclones return 11 players from that squad.

This is the first get-together for Iowa State and Arizona.

"We don't care what they've done. We need to focus on us," defenseman Lindsey Peeples said.

As a junior, Peeples is one of the leaders in the backfield and feels games like these should give experience to the younger players for the Pac-10.

Weber State will take on the Cyclones Sunday morning as the under-card for the UA-Kent State match-up.

Junior Candice Wilks is a two-time Pac-10 honorable mention and a mainstay on the front lines for the Wildcats.

"We'll be able to see what we need to," Wilks said. "It will let us feel out and learn to play with each other."

Kent State has three goalies on its roster for a combined collegiate experience of zero games played. The inexperience in the net could prove costly against an Arizona team who broke 17 records last year.

The Golden Flashes also had a case of homesickness last season, going a depressing 0-8-1 on the road and finishing 6-10-1 overall.

The quad team in the tournament is Weber State, a team Arizona has never faced and still won't after this weekend. The Wildcats ÷ of Weber, that is ÷ went 5-12-1 last season, and are forecasted to finish

second-to-last in the Big Sky Conference this year.

Arizona is looking for a start resembling last season, which saw them take off to a 3-0-1 mark.

"We aren't going to make any predictions," said head coach Dan Tobias. "We are just going to get better after every game."

Murphey Stadium is located on East 15th Street and South Plumer Avenue.