“Even though their record has been spotty, they have their main player, Vanessa DiBernardo, who was in the Women’s Under-20 World Cup, she just came back a week and a half ago,” Saxton said. “I thought they were one of the best teams in the Big Ten, although I thought Iowa was too.”

Although DiBernardo doesn’t beat teams with speed, Saxton said she plays the same kind of game as the Spartans’ senior forward Olivia Stander, where she makes quick cuts with the ball in her possession.

“Whoever goes on her has got to be ready,” he said, “We’re kind of double teaming her in whoever is responsible for her in their zone. It would probably be (senior midfielder) Jordan (Mueller) or (freshman midfielder Sarah) Kovan. The other will be there to help, because she’ll trick you. If she does, she opens up the center of your defense, and now you have problems.”

Junior defender Annie Steinlage has high praise for Illinois’ star player, but said the Spartans definitely are up to the task of shutting her down.

“She’s a great player and is good at making plays,” Steinlage said. “She knows when to play simple. I think that both of our holding mids, if they stay off her and keep our defense organized, I think that we’ll be able to stop her.”

Stander said she would like some revenge after the last time she made the trip to Champaign in 2009.

“The only other time I’ve been there, we lost like 5-0,” Stander said. “So I think just for the girls in my class, remembering that and having motivation to go out there and have a better showing.”

The game will be featured on The Big Ten Network and she said it is even more of an incentive when the team can be on TV.

“We’re on the national stage and we want to represent Michigan State the best we can, so it definitely motivates us,” Stander said. “These next two games are big for us, and they’re on the road, but I think we’re definitely up for the challenge and we’re excited.”

Saxton said the team is coming together more than ever and he is confident the Spartans can go to Illinois and get the win.

“I think that our team defending, now that we’ve have a little more consistency in personnel, we trust each other defensively more than we did last week on the road, and that will be a good thing going to Illinois,” he said. “We certainly can go down there and play with them, so we just need to keep going.”