It’s officially go time for the ISU soccer team after a disappointing 0-4 start to the Big 12 season.

The Cyclones have four games against three conference opponents and in-state rival Northern Iowa in the next nine days, which will effectively set them up for whether or not the team will qualify for the Big 12 championships.

“Coming out of this next week, we’re going to kind of know our fate going into the last game of the season,” said ISU coach Tony Minatta.

The Cyclones have yet to score a goal in Big 12 play this season and have been outscored 13-0 in four conference games, but getting into the conference tournament is still an attainable goal if the team can find away to streak together a few late-season wins.

Eight of the nine Big 12 teams qualify for the Big 12 tournament, so two conference wins would likely make it so that the Cyclones aren’t the odd man out. However, uninspired play of late has Minatta looking for answers.

“It’s almost like starting all over again,” Minatta said. “We have to focus in on those players that are really working hard and competing consistently. We need to put our energy behind those players and hopefully the others will rise up to where they’re at.”

With such a pivotal portion of the season on the horizon, ISU captain Madi Ott said the team is just excited to get back out on the field and try to get things turned around after weeks of struggling.

“Nervous and excitement kind of go hand in hand,” Ott said. “You’re just anxious to go out there and prove yourselves.”

The Cyclones have struggled to play up to the standard the hold themselves to in recent weeks. Subpar effort has crept in and Minatta has been focused on finding a way to turn that around by relying on his high-energy players to help get everyone back into the groove.

The team simply hasn’t been clicking as a whole and that’s been something the team has struggled to get figured out, Ott said.

“It’s an interesting position to try and figure out the best way to get the maximum effort out of people,” Ott said. “We’re trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t for certain people, but no matter what we all support each other and want everyone to be at their best, because that’s when the team will be at it’s best.”

It has been especially frustrating to Minatta, because what he sees in practice isn’t necessarily what he’s been seeing in games, he said. The have struggled to find consistency on the practice field and on the game field.

The bright spot is that with four remaining conference games, the Cyclones still have a chance to get into the Big 12 tournament, which is their ultimate goal for the season.

“It’s still attainable for us to get to the conference tournament and this week is going to be very defining for us,” Minatta said.

They hope to get off to a strong start to that stretch when they take on the Longhorns in Austin, Texas, Friday night.