The ISU soccer team will be looking for revenge as it opens the Big 12 Tournament with the tall task of taking on the No. 1 seed, Texas A&M.

The game will be played Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.

The Aggies defeated the Cyclones in a 1-0 decision at the ISU Soccer Complex in the regular season. According to SoccerBuzz.com, the Aggies will enters Wednesday’s contest in San Antonio as the No. 2 team in the nation and the No. 1 team in the Central Region. The Cyclones will enter the match as the No. 15 in the Central Region.

The Cyclones are not satisfied with just making the Big 12 Tournament, which takes the top eight of the 11 schools that field a women’s soccer team. The Cyclones, who enter the tournament as the eighth seed, see the matchup with the Aggies as a great opportunity to keep the season alive and make a statement in regards to the NCAA Tournament.

“It feels great to make it to the Big 12 because we have a chance to play together longer and have a chance to win it all,” said junior forward Leslie Hill. “We also may get to play teams that bested us in the season and get another chance to play them.”

The Cyclones had the chance to grab the five seed in the tournament heading into the final weekend of play, but an Oklahoma State win on Thursday and an ISU draw against Nebraska on Friday sent the Cyclones tumbling to the eighth spot in the tournament.

Coach Rebecca Hornbacher is not discouraged with the seed. With just how tough the Big 12 Conference is, any team that gets into the tournament has a legitimate shot once the games start.

“Our team has been determined to prove that we can compete well within our conference and have the opportunity to fight for a Big 12 Championship,” Hornbacher said. “They have shown that they can compete with anyone, and we are very excited that we have solidified a spot in our Big 12 Tournament this year.”

The Cyclones will take it just one game at a time, knowing work still needs to be done not only to best the Aggies, but to be able to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies have not lost a game since Sept. 28 against Missouri, a team Iowa State beat, and are coming off back-to-back Big 12 regular season championships.

Having played the Aggies close in the regular season will give the Cyclones confidence heading into the match, and the feeling they can play with anyone in the nation will benefit the team.

“The Big 12 is an intense conference. Every team is talented and upsets are not that uncommon,” Hill said. “Almost like on any given day, any team can come out on top.”