It was dreary, overcast and chilly at the men's soccer team's final practice at Old College Field on Tuesday before the Spartans headed to Indiana to play some of the most important games of the year.

As the light grew dim over the team's evening drills, they played all out- just as if it were the real thing. They knew this might be the last practice seniors on the team would ever attend. Not taking the weather as an omen, players on the team tried to stay relaxed and focused.

It was still drizzling and cold Wednesday morning when they piled onto the bus to leave, but spirits still were high.

They had a big game Thursday morning, and this Big Ten Tournament meant a lot. The Spartans, along with six other Big Ten teams, were vying for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that the weekend's winner receives.

For senior midfielder and captain Jeff Krass, it was the last chance to try and win the Big Ten Tournament as he prepared to play in what could be his last minutes of college soccer this weekend.

"This last year, it's a big deal to all of us seniors," Krass said Tuesday before heading to Indiana. "It'll be a sad day when it's over. But hopefully it'll be a good day, too."

That was before sixth-seeded Penn State upset MSU 2-1 in a heartbreaking loss that sent the Spartans back to East Lansing to ponder their fate.

On Monday, the NCAA soccer championship committee meets to decide which teams that didn't win their conference tournaments will take the leftover bids.

So, the Spartans still have hope.

"There is nothing I would like more than to get a (championship) ring," Krass said. "For us seniors, this is it - It's my last chance."

Before Thursday's game, the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, many were saying it was the team's best shot at not only making the NCAA Tournament, but winning the national championship.

In a situation similar to last year, this year's postseason future hangs in the balance. The team is hoping that the top 20 teams across the nation win in their conferences, head coach Joe Baum said. If teams that didn't do well during the season win their conference tournaments, less slots will be available for bubble teams such as the Spartans.

"In a sense, our fate is in the hands of other people," Baum said.

"We'll cross our fingers and hope it works out. I'd say our chances are 50/50 (for an NCAA bid) right now."

The endless waiting is the hardest part about the tournament for the players.

"It's been on my mind all the time," Krass said. "This is it - this is a big thing for me.

"The scariest thing is not knowing. And sometimes it's just not meant to be."