In what could very well be the biggest game of the Penn State field hockey team's season, the Nittany Lions will take on No. 3 Michigan State (12-1, 2-0) tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in East Lansing.

The matchup is much like that in Rocky IV. Before you wrinkle your eyebrows, just think about the similarities: an underdog, hard-working, likeable Penn State team (Rocky Balboa) goes into enemy territory (the Soviet Union), to take on an intimidating foe led by two blonde-haired Europeans (freak of nature, Ivan Drago).

The blonde Europeans are Veerle Goudswaard and Annebet Beerman, both hailing from the Netherlands. The Spartans are coming off a blowout win over Central Michigan, in which Goudswaard, who has 23 goals on the season, scored four times. Not to be left out of the party, Beerman notched two goals of her own.

The 19th ranked Lions (8-5, 2-0) are hoping that their staunch defense will be able to put the clamps on the Spartans attack. Penn State is coming in riding a four-game winning streak, and a three-game shutout streak. But the most important streaks to coach Char Morett's team may very well be the ones the Lions are trying to snap.

Michigan State has beaten the Lions the last five times the teams have met. Also working against Penn State is the string of tough losses to top-10 teams this season.

The Lions have lost one-goal contests to No. 1 North Carolina, No. 8 Old Dominion and No. 10 Northeastern, while they fell to sixth-ranked Connecticut by a score of 3-1.

Morett says that the team has matured since the last of those games, after which the Lions have lost only once.

"I think we're a much more consistent team now," Morett said. "I think we now show a lot of poise in our passing game, so we're able to control the ball for longer periods of time."

As for the Dutch duo, Morett is looking for her defense to step up and make it difficult for the Spartans to control the ball in Penn State's zone.

"We just hope that whomever is marking them will be able to pick them up -- wherever they are on the field," Morett said. "They have a tendency to switch positions on the field, so we need to recognize that and defend against it. We're hoping to intercept some of their passes, deny them the ball."

If the Lions are going to win tomorrow, they will have to score -- which for much of the season has been easier said than done.

Morett is still looking for consistency on her front line, but Karin Grap, Shaun Banta, Annelise Legel and middie Michele Rigby will likely be the players the Lions look to when in need of scoring. Assist specialist Natalie Berrena should also play an integral role in offensive production against the Spartans.

After an overtime victory against Princeton last week, Grap -- who leads the team with six goals -- said that the Lions had built up so much confidence since the North Carolina game on Sept.12, that the only way to improve upon that confidence was to win close games. Penn State took care of that last week.

Now it seems that the next clear step for the Lions in building even more confidence is to knock off the defending Big Ten champion Spartans, and prove to themselves that they can beat top-notch opponents.

"This is a great opportunity to beat a top 10 team," Morett said. "We need to go after Michigan State -- we have nothing to lose."