One of Iowa State’s most important matches of the year takes place this weekend.

The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series makes its way to the soccer field. The Cyclones host the Hawkeyes Friday at 7 p.m. in a pivotal match for the Cyclones, who look to gain momentum coming off of a steep losing skid.

“We go in focused on us,” said redshirt senior midfielder Brooke Tasker.

Tasker is a veteran and leader for the Cyclones. In games where the stage is elevated, she becomes even more important.

While the Cyclones have been struggling, the Hawkeyes have thrived so far this season and they sport an undefeated record of 4-0-1. This will be the Hawkeyes’ first game away from Iowa City, Iowa, so it won’t be easy. They’ll be playing a tough Cyclone team which has been starved from victory this season.

Adding fuel to the fire, is the fact the Hawkeyes beat the Cyclones in overtime last year in a 1-0 thriller. This is shaping up to be a revenge game for Iowa State, particularly for the returning players.

“What we learned from Colorado will resonate on Friday,” said senior forward Brianna Curtis. “We’re just super excited to have that rivalry game.”

Curtis is seeing an increased role this year and is coming off a couple strong games in Colorado.

Tasker and Curtis are in their last years of eligibility with the team, so it will be their last chance to play the Hawkeyes. There will be an increased sense of urgency for them to perform well on Friday.

Coach Tony Minatta has confidence in his team and thinks this matchup is more even than it looks on paper.

“It’s [going to] come down to who is making mistakes and who comes in with the right energy to start the game,” Minatta said.

Minatta has seen Iowa every year since he started coaching at Iowa State in 2013, so he knows how their team has grown along with Iowa State’s. He’s pretty certain this will be a close matchup.

The Cyclones also have a tough test on Sunday when they host Milwaukee at 1 p.m.

Milwaukee is 4-0 this season and has won 24 games since their last regular season loss, dating all the way back to Sept. 28, 2016.

The Panthers have seen immense success, but they face primarily smaller schools and rarely touch the power five conferences. Two years ago, when the Cyclones and Panthers met last, Iowa State came out victorious with a 1-0 overtime win.

The weather in Ames could be a factor for the weekends tough home games. There has been copious amount of rain that have resulted in multiple flash flood warnings around the Iowa State campus in the last week.

Minatta and his team will have to look out for that as they head into the challenging weekend ahead.