Nov. 6, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ask any member of the Penn State women's soccer team what gets them fired up the most and they'll most likely respond with playing any team in the Big Ten.
That is because the Big Ten provides some of the toughest, most physical play in all of collegiate soccer, and the Nittany Lions are fired up to see some more of it when they travel to Champaign, Ill. to begin the Big Ten Tournament against Wisconsin on Wednesday.
"We just need to come out with intensity against our in-conference rivals," said senior midfielder Taylor Schram. "All the teams get pumped for these games so it's just about having intensity that's overpowering."
Having seen their streak of consecutive Big Ten regular season titles snapped this season, the Nittany Lions have plenty of motivation to fuel them as they prepare for the conference tournament.
Ranked as the No. 3 seed in the tournament, the Lions are determined to prove that they remain as formidable as any team in the conference.
"We're playing with a chip on our shoulders which is something that we haven't always had in the past," said Schram. "Now that we've gotten beat (by conference opponents) a few times we feel like we have more to play for."
When the tournament kicks off on Wednesday, Schram and her teammates will be facing a team that they have already had success against this year, having defeated the Badgers, 2-1, in a hard fought contest on Oct. 4 in Madison.
Despite the victory, the Lions are not allowing themselves to get complacent, knowing that the Badgers will be looking to even the score after having battled the Blue and White so close in their previous meeting.
"The last game against Wisconsin we were able to put them on their heels and set the tone," said head coach Erica Walsh. "This game is going to be a battle between the midfielders so that's where we'll look to find success."
Even with 11 games of in-conference play under their belt this season, Walsh and her crew know that it can be hard to judge their opponents just by what they saw during the regular season.
While teams in the Big Ten always play their hearts out against in-conference opponents, the level of intensity naturally rises during the conference tournament, as the stakes get higher.
"The level of play definitely goes up in the tournament because a lot of teams know that if they don't win the tournament they won't get an NCAA bid," said Schram. "A lot of teams will play us even harder so it will be a lot tougher than regular season in-conference play."
Though Penn State is heavy on veterans such as Schram who have experience playing under the pressure that comes with the Big Ten Tournament, they also feature younger players like freshman defender Brittany Basinger, who is excited to encounter postseason play for the first time.
For Basinger, performing well during these next few weeks is especially important, because she is well aware of how much the rest of the season means to the seniors.
"This postseason I'm looking forward to getting as many games with these seniors as possible because of how much they've mentored me this year," said Basinger. "I heard so much about this tournament and I'm excited to see what it's all about."
With the conference tournament coming just a week before the NCAA Tournament begins, Walsh is hoping that her squad continues the momentum they established by beating Michigan State, 3-0, in their regular season finale.
At this point in their season, the most important aspect going forward for any team is keeping their performances consistent from game to game.
"For us the Big Ten Tournament is about keeping a winning mentality," said Walsh. "If we can find consistency over these three games then we'll have achieved a big goal for us."
Now that the postseason has arrived, the Nittany Lions know there is no margin for error and Walsh believes they are peaking at the right time.
The key now is keeping that peak steady against the best that the conference and the nation has to offer, and sustaining their momentum for the rest of the season.
"I think we're finalizing some tweaks and during these Big Ten games we'll be able get the finer details down heading into the NCAA Tournament," said Walsh. "I think our team is in a really good place right now."