“We all saw that we were suppose to finish fifth this year, so that was sort of a slap in the face,” senior midfielder Jeff Ricondo said. “But I think that just put pressure on us. Not necessarily to do well, but to prove everybody else wrong. I think we’re definitely doing that so far.”

MSU won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles in 2008, but finished tied for sixth last year in the seven-team soccer conference. This year, the Spartans returned 10 of 11 starters — also starting two freshmen — and believe in their chances to win the Big Ten, head coach Damon Rensing said.

“That’s right there on our radar and it starts right off at home (against Northwestern),” Rensing said.

“Everybody likes their chances right now, but I think we’re capable. We got some ingredients with good goaltending, good defense and we’re showing some things offensive.”

Entering the season, the Spartans were ranked No. 24, right in line with the predicted fifth-place finish with four Big Ten teams ranked ahead of them, including Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana and Northwestern. The Buckeyes were picked to win the conference in the preseason and are 4-2-1 thus far.

With Indiana and Northwestern out of the top 25 and Ohio State and Penn State ranked outside the top 20, junior midfielder Cyrus Saydee said the Spartans will use the five-game winning streak to their advantage going into the Big Ten opener against Northwestern (3-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.

“It shows we can play together well,” Saydee said. “It shows we make up a solid team and can win and with everyone playing well, hopefully that boosts us the rest of the season.”

Many coaches and polls acknowledge the Big Ten as one of the two best conferences along with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Rensing said it might be because of the mutual praise with which each coach garners the other teams.

“(The games are) definitely more special; the Big Ten conference is great,” he said. “It’s one of the top conferences.

The league’s parity is what makes the conference special, Ricondo said.

“Any team can beat any team on a given day,” he said. “So you have to be able to go out and be ready for anything every time you play a Big Ten team.”

Northwestern, the Spartans first Big Ten opponent, was picked to finish third in the conference and started the season ranked No. 9.

In his second year as head coach, Rensing said winning the Big Ten title(s) is one of his top three goals.

“For me, outside of winning a national championship and getting to a Final Four, getting a Big Ten Championship is the most important thing,” he said.