Throw it all away.
Throw out the big wins against No. 8 Old Dominion and No. 15 Ohio State. Throw out the lackadaisical performance against Lafayette and the second half collapse against No. 4 North Carolina.
When the Penn State field hockey hosts the Big Ten Tournament, which begins tomorrow at Bigler Field, all will be forgotten. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
"I guarantee we won't make the NCAA tourney if we lose in the first round," Penn State goalie Annie Zinkavich said.
Zinkavich said the Lions played Iowa well earlier this season, and Iowa escaped with a 1-0 win. She said that Penn State not capitalizing on Hawkeye mistakes and Iowa playing well defensively characterized the game. The fourth-year starter said that the team is pumped, especially the seniors.
"Our class has never won anything," Zinkavich said. "It's time for us. It's time for Char. It's championship time."
Here is how the teams besides Penn State and Iowa look going into the tournament:
Michigan (15-4, 5-1)
The Wolverines tied Michigan State for the regular season title, but beat the Spartans and gained the No. 1 seed in the tournament and a first round bye. Only a 2-1 loss to Ohio State stopped Michigan from an undefeated record in the Big Ten. The team comes into the tournament as the favorite.
Michigan will face the winner of the Penn State-Iowa match-up. The Wolverines dominated the Lions last weekend, 5-2, and beat Iowa earlier in the season, 1-0.
Michigan State (13-4, 5-1)
Characterized by a defense that prides itself on breaking the opponent's momentum, the Spartans gained a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a 5-0 win over Ohio State last weekend. A 1-0 loss to Michigan cost the Spartans a first round bye, and the team will take on Indiana in the first round
Michigan State won the tournament last season and is riding a hot wave that has seen the Spartans win its last three games and eight of its last nine.
Ohio State (4-2, 12-6)
The Buckeyes enter the weekend as the No. 3 seed and are no strangers to close games. Five of the team's six Big Ten regular season games were decided by one goal, including three that were decided in overtime.
Ohio State is No. 15 nationally but earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament with an impressive Big Ten record, and namely a win over Michigan. The Buckeyes beat Northwestern 1-0 in overtime in the teams' first meeting earlier in the season.
Northwestern (9-8, 1-5)
The Wildcats have not gotten out of the first round of this tournament since 1996, and will look to play the role of spoiler.
However, the team seems to have gained a favorable match-up in the first round against Ohio State. When the two teams squared off earlier this season, it took an overtime penalty stroke from the Buckeyes to notch the 1-0 win.
Indiana (1-5, 8-9)
Penn State senior co-captain Heather Conroy said that the Lions should have lost to the Hoosiers earlier this season. While Indiana only tallied one conference win, four of the team's five losses came by one goal.
The Hoosiers main shot at dethroning Michigan State will be a low-scoring defensive game and a dominant performance by senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek.
