MSU head coach Tom Saxton said playing from behind was something that felt way too similar to last weekend’s contests, when the Spartans (10-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) dropped two road games to Illinois and Purdue.

“I think giving up that goal was really haunting to us because it was exactly the type of goal we gave up last week,” he said. “So I think they were really questioning themselves while they played. It was psychological. We had to look at ourselves and say ‘Look, we know we’re a good offensive team. Stay in this, get out there and believe in yourselves and pound at them.’”

And that’s just what MSU did in the final 45 minutes with through-balls and lob passes that sailed through the Buckeyes’ (6-4-2, 3-0) defense to the one-two punch of junior Lauren Hill and freshman Laura Heyboer.

“The last few games we found ourselves down not being able to find the confidence to pick ourselves back up,” Heyboer said. “I think today we found it and believed in ourselves enough to come back and get the victory.”

Hats flew across the bleachers as Heyboer picked up her second hat trick of the season with three goals in a 17-minute span — giving her 15 on the year.

At 40:36, junior midfielder Megan Brown centered a ball that landed in Heyboer’s lap before she put it in the goal. Then at the 26:53 mark, freshman defender Katelin Chaklos skidded a pass through the defense which Heyboer beat the goaltender to and slid into the net.

And to complete her three-goal day, the freshman showed that speed kills in the game of soccer — out-hustling every Buckeyes defender to swoop in on a lob ball and blast it into the net, assisted by junior midfielder Kelsey Tait.

Hill then got in on the action with her 10th and 11th goals of the season just 13 minutes apart from each other.

Showing her agility with 19 minutes to play in the contest, Hill settled a Tait pass that zinged by the defensive line and found the net. And with less than six minutes remaining, Hill was patient to stay onside before streaking through two defenders, dribbling and gathering the ball and slamming it in between the posts.

“It was about recognizing the defense step and that’s what you have to send those through balls and I think we had the speed to beat them,” Hill said. “We have good finishers so it was a job well done.”

Heyboer leads the nation with 37 points while Heyboer, Hill (27) and sophomore forward Cara Freeman (19) are ranked 1-3 on the Big Ten’s points leaderboard.

The Spartans take on Penn State at noon on Sunday at DeMartin.