The difference between a home game in the tournament and a road game could be how the Lions play against conference rivals like Purdue and Indiana, who appear on the schedule this weekend.
Starting tomorrow at West Lafayette, Ind., if one of those conference opponents finds a way to upset Penn State, the consequences could be high. After all, the bar has been set by the team's past Big Ten play. All of the regular-season and tournament titles along with eight straight NCAA tournament appearances could now be called tradition.
The Lions are the targets of every other conference rival. They don't have anything to prove, just everything to protect.
Penn State got off to a solid start last Sunday with a 4-0 victory over Iowa, but the meat of the conference play lies ahead.
"We want to go undefeated in the Big Ten," senior midfielder Joanna Lohman said. "We got off to a good start against Iowa, getting a big win."
What follows are a few of the remaining Big Ten teams on the Lions' schedule that will challenge for the conference title.
Ohio State (6-0-1, 0-0-1)
The only Big Ten team currently ranked ahead of the Lions in the NSCAA/adidas poll, the Buckeyes now occupy the ranking that the Lions held last week, sitting high at No. 11. They are led in scoring by sophomore midfielder Colleen Hoban, who has racked up five goals and two assists in her first seven games.
The Buckeyes scored an impressive non-conference win over No. 7 Virginia, though they had a disappointing start to the Big Ten season, managing only a 1-1 draw against a suspect Iowa defense.
The Lions travel to Columbus, Ohio for the final conference game on the schedule on Oct. 24.
Purdue (6-1-1, 2-0-0)
Breaking into the top 25 this week, the No. 24 Boilermakers are the first team with two Big Ten wins, blanking both Minnesota and Wisconsin on the road this past week. Purdue features both the Big Ten offensive and defensive players of the week in senior forward Courtney Coppedge and freshman goalkeeper Lauren Mason.
Coppedge has five goals and four assists on the season and is among the early offensive leaders in conference play. Mason currently has a streak of 534:42 without allowing a goal, dating back to Aug. 31.
Illinois (5-2-1, 1-0-1)
The Lions have had their date against Illinois on Oct. 12 circled since being upset by the Fighting Illini in the opening round of last year's Big Ten tournament.
Junior Tara Hurless, who had four assists in last year's tournament win, returns this season, as does goalkeeper Leisha Alcia. Alcia already has four shutouts on the year to lead the conference.
The Illini tied Michigan in their Big Ten opener, but rebounded two days later to beat Michigan State.
Wisconsin (5-3-1, 1-1-0)
The Badgers feature one of the top scorers in the Big Ten in Jenny Kundert, who is among the cluster of players just behind Lohman in goals and points. In nine games, Kundert has five goals and three assists to lead the Badgers.
Wisconsin is also near the top of the conference in fouls committed this season, being penalized 124 times -- almost 14 fouls a game.
The Badgers' lone conference victory came in a 2-0 win over Indiana days before losing a 1-0 decision to Purdue.
Michigan State (5-2-1, 1-1-0)
Led by a very balanced offensive attack, the Spartans' greatest strength may lie in their goalkeeper, Stacy Heller, who is second in the Big Ten with 35 saves.
Earning shutouts in three games, the Spartan goalkeeper has only had four goals get by her in seven contests.
Unlike Penn State, however, the Spartans' defense has had problems limiting scoring chances that Heller sees. Michigan State ranks in the bottom of the conference in shots allowed.
