“As we expected, I think the biggest thing that’s noteworthy is the pace and athleticism,” Saxton said after Tuesday’s practice. “This is the Big Ten now, all the athletes are big, strong and fast.”

MSU will face a team that gets plenty of shots off — 154 so far this season — and has one of the top young goal-scorers in the Big Ten.

Nebraska forward Jaycie Johnson already has five goals in seven games, which is tied for fifth in the Big Ten. Just seven games into her collegiate career, the freshman already has been named Big Ten Player of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

The Huskers return two players from last year’s All-Big Ten second team, forward Mayme Conroy and defender Ari Romero. They also return defender Jaylyn Odermann, who was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team.

“We need to come out strong because like (Saxton) mentioned in practice (Tuesday), they’ll be a lot more physical and the pace will be faster compared to the non-conference games we’ve been playing,” sophomore forward Allyson Krause said. “We need to have the mindset and come out ready to play.”

The Spartans have suffered a couple injuries to key players in the season but expect to be fully recovered soon.

Junior goalkeeper Courtney Clem, who has missed the past three games because of a concussion, will return to goal for the Spartans. Sophomore goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder picked up three wins and combined for a shutout in Clem’s absence.

“It feels awesome to be back,” Clem said. “I feel really good and just ready to go.”