With the regular season now officially over for No. 19 MSU field hockey (10-8 overall , 4-4 Big Ten ), the focus shifts to the Big Ten Tournament starting on Thursday in Ann Arbor. The Spartans earned the five seed in the tournament and drew a first round matchup No. 5 Penn State.

Now at the point where every game could be their last, head coach Helen Knull knows MSU can’t afford to have any lapses in play or mental errors. Just looking back at Saturday’s 2-1 loss to No. 8 Louisville , there were a number of facets of MSU’s game that were exposed, namely, the Spartans’ defense on penalty corners was exploited for both Cardinals’ goals.

“They executed well, but there were some things, tactically, we could have done a little different,” Knull said.

Being her last opportunity to evaluate her team in game action before the Big Ten Tournament, Knull kept a keen eye on her team’s execution. With the highly-touted Nittany Lions presenting the first challenge, Knull knows the Spartans must play one of their most complete games of the year.

“We’ve got to get more of our attacking 25,” Knull said of her team’s push for more offensive possession. “We got in our circle, we got shots off, but I’d like to see more corners. ... Movement in the midfield was good, but we just weren’t asking for the ball under pressure. ... Penn State tends to press high and hard, so we’ve got to be ready to receive under pressure.”

With Knull looking to fine tune MSU’s skills and preparation during practice this week, it is fitting that the players are preaching focusing on the details and execution. Whether it be defending penalty corners or receiving under pressure, the Spartans are well aware their game needs to be at its best and most efficient come Thursday.

For senior forward Abby Barker , the loss against UL on Saturday showed what this team is capable of — both good and bad.

“We had moments of greatness during the game,” Barker said. “But again, it just came down to the small details that we didn’t execute. ... We showed our hard work by coming back from the one goal down, but then we gave them the other goal right away. So I think it’s just perseverance throughout the game and executing the small details that will be the difference maker this weekend.”

For Barker and the other five seniors playing on Thursday, there is comfort of being in a similar situation last year where MSU had to win the Big Ten Tournament to make it to the NCAA Tournament. On the other side, there is extra pressure knowing it could be their last game wearing the Spartan green and white. Nevertheless, all of the pregame talk and worries go out the window once the game starts.

“We love tournament time,” senior back Jenni Smith said. “It’s so unpredictable, and every game could be our last game.”