“It’s not every day that you get to score three goals against Indiana,” the freshman midfielder Chapman said, recalling his last game against them.

“I’m just focusing on getting the result rather than goals personally. It’s a huge game that will get us forward in the Big Ten Tournament … I’m just going to go out there and play for my team and try to get the two points.”

For MSU, winning the Big Ten Tournament likely will be the only way the team will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, seeing that MSU is below .500.

There might be a lot riding on the games that follow, but head coach Damon Rensing said they are approaching Wednesday’s game just like every other game.

“If you can get past the first day, that’s the key,” Rensing said. “Get past the first day. Everybody has a little bit of jitters, but if you can win or advance from the first day, whether it’s a tie and penalty kicks or a win, then you’re right in it. It’s down to four teams and it’s anybody’s game.”

If MSU wins Wednesday’s game, they will take on top-seeded Penn State at noon Central time on Friday.

The Big Ten championship game is noon Central time on Sunday, and the winner of that game receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

“Everyone knows what’s on the line,” senior midfielder Luke Norman said. “At this point, we need to win the Big Ten Tournament, but all we can do now is keep preparing like we’ve been preparing, just keep doing the same things.”

MSU is coming off a 1-0 loss to Michigan. If the Spartans would have pulled through in that game, they would have been named regular season Big Ten champions and have a first-round bye in the tournament.

Rensing said the team is putting that game behind them and focusing on the task ahead of them.

“Both teams know each other,” Rensing said. “We know their strengths, we know their weaknesses, they know ours … Revenge lasts for the first five, 10 minutes into the game. People get fired up, but at the end of the day whoever executes the best game plan will win the game.”