Let the games begin.

The No. 17 Penn State field hockey team opens its Big Ten schedule at 1 p.m. this Saturday when it takes on Ohio State at North Turf Field in Columbus, Ohio.

The Lions (4-5; 0-0) will be looking to get back on track against the Buckeyes (4-2; 0-0) after a 3-2 overtime loss to Syracuse Wednesday night. Prior to the loss, the team had won three in a row, all shutout victories.

"It's like we take two steps forward, the one step backwards," said Coach Char Morett.

It has been a back-and-forth season for Penn State thus far. After losing its first three games, the Lions won four of its next five before falling to Syracuse.

The coach believes the team must get back to playing solid defense like it had during its winning streak.

"I think we have some great defenders, Molly [Schriver], Bekah [Hostetler], Sara [Cahill]," she said. "You just have to hope that [Wednesday] was just a bad night for them."

The unit, led by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Sara Cahill, knows it can play better.

Cahill said the team needs to play smarter and utilize the passing game better, which is one of its strengths.

"We need to keep building on our team defense," Cahill said. "We need to take our passing game to our opponents, that's when we're playing our best."

Morett is also looking for a more consistent effort from her forwards. During the first nine games the coach experimented with different combinations up front. Now she is looking for a combination she can count on every game.

"With the forwards, we interchange them so much ... We haven't had any consistency there," she said.

The Buckeyes are hot heading into Big Ten play. Coach Anne Wilkinson won her 100th game with Ohio State Sunday when the Buckeyes defeated Ball State 2-1 in double overtime. They have won three in a row, outscoring their opponents by a total of 9-2.

Even. more impressive is Ohio State's recent success at home. The Buckeyes have a six-game winning streak at North Turf Field going back to the 2003 season.

The youthful Lions are hoping to learn from their inconsistent first stretch of the season.

If they do, they could find themselves competing in a conference where Morett feels everyone has a shot.

"I really felt all along that this team would have to go through the season to gain some experience," Morett said. "I think there's a lot of parity in the Big Ten. It's wide open."

Saturday's game will be one of the first major tests for the young squad.

"Any Big Ten game on the road is such a big challenge," Morett said. "And I think we've got to step up to that challenge."