“The football team will be a little upset that they’re missing our game,” Cope said. “Maybe some of their players will get the update at halftime that we won, and they’ll use that to motivate them to win the game.”

The Spartans and Fighting Irish are familiar foes, having played every year since 2001. Notre Dame boasts a 6-15-4 all-time record against MSU.

Notre Dame beat MSU 2-0 in the regular season on Nov. 5. Both goals were scored over the span of less than one minute.

“The familiarity helps us,” head coach Damon Rensing said. “We know them; we know how they play. There won’t be anything we haven’t seen in the last couple years. We’ve got some unfinished business and we’ll be ready for the challenge.”

Notre Dame knocked MSU out of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and the Spartans haven’t beaten the perennial power since 2010.

Cope said he doesn’t think about their lack of results against the Irish, but he knows every time they face off, it’s going to be a battle.

“They’re a very good program, and they have very good coaches and very good players,” Cope said. “We’ve come out on the losing side the last (four) times, so it does sting a little bit, but we can make up for it on Saturday, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”

It will be strength against strength, as Notre Dame has scored 11 goals in the last three games. The MSU defense only has allowed one goal in the last six contests.

The Irish are led by senior forward Harrison Shipp, who tallied against the Spartans in November, and has 12 goals and eight assists on the year.

For MSU to come out on top, the midfield, led by junior midfielder Fatai Alashe and sophomore midfielder Jay Chapman, needs to be on top of its game.

“(Shipp’s) one of the best players in the country, so he’s kind of a shifty player,” Chapman said. “Just keeping him in front and making sure he has to play back and play simple. We’ve been taking on good teams all year, so we’re not going to treat them any differently.”

The Spartans will be helped by the return of junior forward Adam Montague and junior defender Ryan Keener, who both have been hampered the last few games with injuries.

Montague scored the only goal in MSU’s 1-0 win against Georgetown in the Elite Eight, and Keener hasn’t seen the field since the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

For the Spartans to advance to their first College Cup in 45 years, they’ll need the unified, team performance they know they’re capable of.

Chapman is expecting Notre Dame to show up and play with a chip on their shoulder, but an MSU win and trip to the Final Four in Philadelphia would be the icing on the cake of the season so far.

“It’ll be a big game, and I’m up for it,” he said. “This year there’s a little bit more to play for. I want to play in a Final Four more than anything.”