“For us, having a one game weekend last weekend then two days off was great just from a mental, physical rejuvenation standpoint,” head coach Helen Knull said. “And we’re excited to be home after being on the road for three weeks.”

Even though MSU is caught a couple breaks last week schedule-wise, they can’t expect to catch any breaks on the field. With such tough competition ahead, every goal and every win is going to be essential. The Spartans current formula for success might not hold up for much longer.

“We’re coming in lackadaisical, and then we have a fire under us as soon as they score,” senior back Jenni Smith said. “We need to start out as if we’re losing at the very start. As soon as the whistle goes we need to pretend that we’re down so that we can take the lead and let another team chase us, instead of us chasing them.”

Senior forward Allie Ahern, who is second on the team with six goals, reiterated Smith’s point.

“We just need to come out on top instead of putting ourselves in a hole,” Ahern said. “Just coming out and starting from the first whistle instead of waiting.” 

When asked what MSU’s biggest strength was, Knull didn’t hesitate pointing to the Spartan’s mentality once they go down.

“Coming back from behind when we’re down,” Knull said of her team’s strongest asset thus far. “I think we know we can fight back. Whether we’re down 2-0, 1-0, or we’re up, we’ve got a belief we can win the game.”