The No. 9 MSU field hockey team looks to rebound from a sloppy performance last week and play strongly this weekend against Stanford and against Northwestern in their Big Ten home opener.

Though MSU won 4-1 on Sunday over the Ohio Bobcats, there are several points of the team's play that need work, specifically "changes in one-on-one defense," head coach Michele Madison said.

"We had to clean up some things on defense." she said. "We watched some tape and they were laughing at themselves, saying, 'Is that us?'"

Senior forward Theresa Pusateri describes leaving the field feeling the team didn't play their best. Other players concurred.

"We need to play more poised defense." junior right back Michelle Carstens said. "We seem to be jumping to the ball too much on defense, so we're trying to play more poised and patient."

After two days of rest, the Spartans will host the Stanford Cardinal at 3:30 at the MSU Field Hockey Complex on Saturday.

"They play a pretty tactical game and they spread the field," Madison said. "We'll have to be on our toes and control the tempo to play our own game."

Stanford is 3-6 this season and will have to compete against MSU's home-field advantage. The Spartans are in the midst of a 15-game home win streak.

Northwestern was ranked all season until this week, and still receives votes despite their 4-5 record. Last year, the Spartans beat the Wildcats 2-0.

"We know Northwestern is always coming for a fight." Pusateri said. "I know they're gonna come out swinging.

"Everyone knows we're a Final Four team, so we just have to bring our A-game and play strong for 70 minutes."