“It’s not a place where we’ve done historically well … so it’s a monumental task,” Saxton said. “I like where the team is right now; I want to kind of stay loose and go into it and try to have some fun and try to stay relaxed. … They’re a dangerous team on restarts, but I think we’ve been good there all year, and that gives me a little extra confidence.”

He said the young age of the Spartans is something they need to overcome when going into such a hostile environment.

“It’s just some of our younger, smaller players getting into scraps or scrums and coming away with success (that) will tell the tale,” Saxton said.

For freshman forward Allyson Krause, going on her first overnight road trip is something she has been looking forward to.

“I’m definitely excited about it because, honestly, I don’t know what to expect,” Krause said. “I know it’s going to be much harder competition than what we’ve been playing against, not downgrading the teams that we’ve been playing, but we need to be more physical.”

She added that her youth doesn’t help her get into the groove of the game.

“I’m definitely nervous as well because, as a freshman, I’ve never played against a big-level team like this coming from club to now,” Krause said. “We’ll just have to prepare in practice, and hopefully it goes well and (we’ll) be ready for the game.”

Even though the environment at Wisconsin can be brutal, senior midfielder Jordan Mueller said she thrives under that pressure from the opposing fans.

“I actually love that environment,” Mueller said. “Their field is really nice, and their student section will be causing a commotion around us, and it kind of adds to the atmosphere and makes you want to beat them that much more.”

She said when she gets the opposing fans to yell at her, she considers that to be a success.

“Just like at the Oakland game, that was the last game there was a true student section against us, and it’s so sweet when you go in to make a tackle and you know you’re making all those people so mad,” Mueller said. “Anything you can do to put the ball in the back of the net and come out with a win against Wisconsin.”

For Saxton, the key to the game will be how physical the teams play.

“I know this is simplistic, but we just have to win the battles to win the game,” he said. “They’re a nationally ranked team, and this will be a tough challenge.”