The MSU womens soccer team goes into todays game against No. 7 Penn State with nothing to lose and a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament to gain.
A victory at 3 p.m. at Old College Field will put the Spartans into second place in the Big Ten and earn them a No. 2 seed in Novembers Big Ten Tournament - while a loss will keep the team in fifth place.
Head coach Tom Saxton said the team will be able to play loose because a loss wont affect them in the standings.
I dont think we feel a lot of pressure, Saxton said. We look at it as an opportunity to lead (us) to our highest finish (ever) in the Big Ten, maybe make the NCAA committee take notice.
The Nittany Lions enter todays game without their best player, forward Christie Welsh, who is injured - a player Saxton said is the best in the Big Ten. But MSU sophomore midfielder Heidi Lutz said one player cant win a game by herself. Theyre obviously a good team no matter what, Lutz said. One player doesnt make a whole team so theyre still going to be a good team and a tough team to play.
Saxton said since Welsh is not playing MSU will have a bit of an edge, but MSUs most physical player, senior midfielder and co-captain Gina Dawson, is also injured. Saxton added that he would rather have Dawson in the game, even if it meant Welsh was playing too, since the scouting report says Penn State is a physical team.
Shes been our strongest player in the midfield, Saxton said. We need our midfielders to step up to the highest level to cover for Gina - particularly in the physical end (since Gina is such a physical player).