This weekend is do or die for the No. 16 men's soccer team.

The Big Ten tournament is on tap, starting today in Bloomington, Ind., and the team knows it is time to put up or shut up as far as an NCAA bid is concerned. The Big Ten winner receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

"If we don't get to the finals, we don't deserve to be in the NCAAs," sophomore Neil Piper said. "It would be tough to get in with seven losses."

"If we get two wins, we should be in good shape," Coach Barry Gorman said. "One win will put us on the bubble. If we get zero wins, we're going to have to do a lot of praying."

For the NCAA tournament, there are 28 berths, 11 of which are reserved for conference champions. That leaves a crapshoot for the other 17 positions, which fall into the hands of the selection committee on Monday.

"There is no way that you can second guess the selection committee," Gorman said. "You just have to show your stuff on the field and hope that it's enough."

But if nothing else, the team is probably deserving of a berth regardless of its record after this weekend.

"This is a good team," Gorman said. "It has worked hard all season and they deserve to be in the NCAA tournament. But it's all in the kids' hands right now. They control their own destiny as to whether or not we go."

Penn State kicks off the second annual Big Ten Tournament today against Michigan State, who the Lions beat 1-0 at Jeffrey Field two weeks ago. In the other opening round match, Ohio State faces Northwestern.

In the semifinal matches tomorrow, No. 1 seed Wisconsin squares off against the Penn State/Michigan State winner while host Indiana plays the Ohio State/Northwestern victor. The winners of these two games face off for all the marbles on Sunday.

Despite being on the skids as of late, losing four of their last seven, the Lions are optimistic that they can reach the promised land.

"It's going to be tough, but personally, I think that we'll win," Piper said. "We know that we can beat anyone."

"I think we're going to peak this weekend, and that will carry us to the rest of the season," senior Matt Woolley said. "I think we have to go out and dominate and crush some teams. We're tired of playing all of these close games."

But the key factor this weekend is the possibility of playing three matches in three days. That will give the advantage to Wisconsin and Indiana, who only have to play two games to win the tournament.

"I don't think it will make much of a difference," Woolley said. "We all played four or five games during a weekend in tournaments, and the prospect of facing Indiana in the finals gets you going."

Freshman Stuart Reid, the team's leading goal scorer, feels the three month season has taken its toll.

"At this point in the season, the team is getting a bit fatigued," the Reid said. "The extra game will be a problem, but if it has to be, it has to be."

But there is someone that isn't looking past today's battle with the Spartans.

"Playing three games in three days will be awfully tough," Gorman said. "The major key is Michigan State. If we can jump out to a lead and rest some players, we will be in much better shape."