If they win, he believes MSU should advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. If the Spartans (10-4-4 overall, 3-4-2 Big Ten) tie the No. 11 Buckeyes (14-2-2, 7-1-1), Saxton said he won’t feel great about MSU’s chances.

And a loss, he said, would all but eliminate the Spartans’ postseason hopes.

“This is a playoff game; that’s how I look at it,” Saxton said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the Big Ten Tournament this year or next year. But, to me, this is a tournament game. … A win over (Ohio State) would probably jump (our Ratings Percentage Index) a ton, and I can say pretty confidently the scenarios I laid out are probably the right ones.”

Each Monday throughout the soccer season, TopDrawerSoccer.com projects which teams will be in the 64-team tournament. The Spartans currently are ranked No. 41 in those teams, but their No. 56 RPI ranking is a cause for concern. A win against the Buckeyes, No. 12 in the RPI, would significantly help their chances.

Currently tied for first in the Big Ten with Penn State, the Buckeyes can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win against MSU. With the Big Ten Network in town to televise the game, Saxton said he “sure as hell (doesn’t) want them getting the trophy presentation on our field.”

Because of what’s at stake for both teams, Sunday’s match could be one of the most physical and emotional of the season.

“It really is. There’s a lot at stake for both teams,” senior defender Megan Brown said. “(There’s) very different (goals), but for us this is our chance to prove we can play with anybody before they make the decisions for the tournament, and for them it’s a big game to try to win the Big Ten. We just have to come in and try to stop them from doing that.”

Saxton said he believes the key for his team — which has integrated numerous young players in the lineup — is to get through the game’s first 20 minutes. If the Spartans can hold off Ohio State’s pressure for the first part of the game, Saxton said, despite the team’s records, he believes the Spartans can play well enough to beat Ohio State and almost certainly secure a postseason bid.

For senior forward Lauren Hill, there’s no other option than to do just that.

“The way we see it is we have to win,” Hill said. “Losing is not in our heads at all – at least it’s not in mine. We just need to spread that word that we have to win – we have to, have to, have to. There’s no choice.”