There’s simply no room for error in the Big Ten. With 18 points and a 6-2 record, MSU sits in fifth place. Washington and Purdue both have 19 points while Ohio State and UCLA are tied at the top with 21. MSU already beat both Washington and UCLA, but will not face Ohio State because of conference scheduling.

There's nothing left to do for the Spartans but win and hope the other teams don't. With four games left in the season, the Spartans need everything to go their way to claim the title. 

The conference schedule provides a sliver of hope for MSU; UCLA and Washington will meet Friday while Purdue and Ohio State meet Sunday. Although this guarantees dropped points, MSU can only finish as high as second if no one stumbles again. At least two of the top four will need to drop points on another occasion.

On paper, MSU faces the easiest opponents in the final matches, playing two teams each with only one win under their belt. However, that does not mean winning is a straightforward task or that winning will be enough.

“We’ll have to get all 12 points to have a shot,” Hosler said. “But if we pay attention to that, we’re not gonna get all 12 points.”

Hosler said his approach to the season is always day-by-day. That does not change with wins, losses and the repercussions of those results. Now, the Spartans can only focus on controlling the controllable.

Junior defender Julia Belli said that while her eyes are set on achieving “hefty goals” in the postseason, the Spartans are still taking it one day at a time to ensure they are in the best position for success.

“Anything can happen,” Belli said. “It’s important that we stay locked in and not just say that these games mean nothing.”

With a handful of games left to play in the regular season, Hosler said thinking about the postseason is a “waste of an exercise.” He is coaching his team to look only to the next game.

Belli said that her focus is firmly on getting a statement win on Friday, against what she expects will be a “scrappy” Indiana side.

The Hoosiers enter the matchup after a challenging stretch of Big Ten play. Indiana drew 2-2 against USC on Sunday and a 5-0 loss to UCLA on Thursday. The Hoosiers also fell to Michigan, 3-2, on Oct. 4.

While both teams will see this game as an opportunity to get back on track, the Spartans should be well-suited to utilize the opportunity. After their one previous loss, against Michigan on Sept. 20, the Spartans went on their best run of the season; they scored 11 goals and conceded just two across four games.

MSU has the chance to flip the narrative. They came into the season with such high expectations they practically had one hand on the trophy. All season, their opponents have given it their all against the highly-ranked Spartans — they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Now, without a firm grasp on the title, the Spartans are the ones with nothing to lose. If they rise to a new level, it could be the catalyst for wild success. Or, it could simply spell out a lackluster finish to a season that held such promise.

“Despite dropping our most recent result, it’s a group that really believes that at our best, we can beat anybody,” Hosler said. “But we have to raise our floor.”

MSU faces Indiana away on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 P.M. The game will stream live on Big Ten Plus.