Iowa State soccer has dropped three games in a row — all by one goal — but the Cyclones are optimistic heading into their games this weekend at Denver on Friday at 8 p.m central and at Colorado 2 p.m. central on Sunday.

This trip is a special one for the Cyclones, as they have five Colorado natives on their roster and coach Tony Minatta used to coach soccer in Colorado.

The first game of the road trip will be against the Denver Pioneers on the road on Friday night.

The Pioneers are 1-2-1 this season with a win at Florida International, losses against Colorado College and Florida Atlantic and a draw against Colorado State.

Iowa State and Denver have faced each other once before, that being in 2014 with escaping with a 2-1 win in Denver.

Last season, the Pioneers finished 11-9-1 and qualified for the NCAA tournament after they won the Summit League tournament. They are picked to repeat as champions this season.

“It’s a good team with a lot of talent,” Minatta said. “Their coach, Jeff Hooker, has been there for a while and we know that they are going to be technical, athletic and well organized.”

Following the matchup with Denver, the Cyclones will travel 33 miles to face old Big 12 foe, Colorado.

Colorado went 12-6-4 last season, qualified for the NCAA tournament and won one game before losing in the second round.

“They have a lot of talent and they could very well be one of the top teams in the Pac-12 this season,” Minatta said.

Sunday’s matchup will be the second time that the Cyclones and Buffaloes have faced off since the Buffaloes left the Big 12 in 2012. Their last meeting was in 2015, with Colorado coming out on top 2-1.

All-time, the Buffaloes have had the Cyclones number, as they hold a 13-2-1 record against the Cyclones all-time.

So far this season the Buffaloes have not allowed a goal, and they have outscored their opponents 9-0 in the regular-season. They are 2-0-1 on the season, and they are picked to finish fifth in the Pac 12 this season.

In their last matchup, the Buffaloes dominated from start to finish and defeated the Missouri Tigers 6-0.