As if the Iowa soccer team needed another reason besides state bragging rights to get pumped up for its game today at 7 p.m. against Iowa State.

Emotions and excitement will already be overflowing as the Hawkeyes (5-2) face Iowa State (4-0-3) in the third event of the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series. The Hawkeyes will also host Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. on Sept. 20.

But Iowa will have extra motivation on its side with the Big Ten Network announcing it will broadcast its Friday Night Tailgate program live from the Iowa Soccer Complex, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“I think it’ll be real fun,” Iowa head coach Ron Rainey said. “The Big Ten Network is awesome for our school, for all the Big Ten schools, so it’ll be neat to have it stop by.”

With the Iowa football team playing Arizona at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, the network chose Iowa City for its weekly conference football preview show.

While Rainey certainly welcomes the extra media attention and fans — both at the game and on television — he doesn’t want his team to get distracted by all of the hubbub. Iowa won last year’s contest, 3-2, in Ames, and Rainey said Iowa State always plays the Hawkeyes tough.

“They’re undefeated, so they’re coming in with a lot of confidence,” Rainey said. “Every game we play against them have all been ties or one-goal games.”

The Cyclones hold the edge in the all-time series over the Hawkeyes, 5-4-2. Iowa is riding a three-match winning streak after dominating teams in the second half. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents, 10-0, after the break.

Fifth-year senior Jackie Kaeding has played in the past four games of the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

“Honestly, there are teams in the Big Ten that we have bigger rivalries with,” she said. “When we play Iowa State, though, people on the outside get really amped up about it. It’s just this feeling you get when you play them that it’s different from any other game because you know a lot of people will be watching.”

This match, however, presents a unique mixture of high and low feelings for the midfielder — it will be her last against the Cyclones.

“I try not to think about that, because it makes me so sad,” Kaeding said. “Every game now, I treat it like I have to play as hard as I can because it’s the last time I’m going to play this opponent. I think just like any other game I’m going to be playing it’s going to be big, but especially because it’s Iowa State.”

Cedar Rapids native Jade Grimm is only a summer removed from playing high-school soccer. Now, the freshman defender is looking forward to starting in her first rivalry game and all the hype that comes with it.

“It’s always a big rivalry,” she said. “Fans are always helpful when the whole rivalry thing gets pumped up.”

Kaeding is also eager to show everyone watching what the Hawkeyes can do.

“It’s going to be big,” she said. “I think a lot of people are going to start to see that we are a force to be reckoned with, especially with the scores last weekend. Now that we have people who are paying attention to our games, I think it definitely puts a good foot out there.”