It would be easy for the Penn State women's soccer team to overlook tonight's matchup with Iowa.
After all, the No. 9 Nittany Lions are the eight-time defending Big Ten champions and owners of a 31-game regular-season winning streak against conference opponents. Mix in a perfect 9-0 all-time record against the Hawkeyes and a Sunday showdown with No. 15 Illinois looming, and it is easy to see why.
But head coach Paula Wilkins knows that if her team is going to capture a ninth consecutive title, it must approach every game the same. So you can bet that Penn State (6-2-2, 2-0 Big Ten) will be focused on Iowa (4-5-1, 0-2) when the two meet at 7 tonight in Iowa City.
"We have to take care of each game because each game in the Big Ten is very important and we stress that to each player," Wilkins said. "If you lose any game in the Big Ten, it is going to matter because the conference is so strong this year."
The Lions spent much of Wednesday's practice preparing for the Hawkeyes, who could present them with some problems.
After finishing 2005 in last place, Iowa hired Rob Rainey from Ball State as the new head coach. Rainey brings a new philosophy and organization to an experienced Hawkeyes squad -- that returned 18 letterwinners this season -- and is looking to climb out of the Big Ten's basement.
"[The Hawkeyes] are very good on set pieces and organization. They're going to be very good and we have to be focused on winning this game," Wilkins said. "And after beating them for the past couple seasons, I know that they'll want to do well against us, so we have to be prepared for that."
Following tonight's contest, Penn State will make the 242-mile trip to Champaign, Ill., for a tilt with Illinois (6-4, 2-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Lions and Fighting Illini are two of the four teams currently undefeated in conference play.
In order to remain unscathed, both teams will need to be consistent in their execution -- something Wilkins has harped on all season.
After suffering bouts of inconsistency earlier this year, Penn State has finally begun to gel in all areas, returning to form at the right time.
On offense, junior forward Aubrey Aden-Buie has ignited the Lions with a team-leading six goals, including three last weekend. Sophomore midfielder Allie Long has starred in the spotlight at midfield with some spectacular play, taking over for senior midfielder Ali Krieger, who has secured the defense after switching positions in the third game of the season.
"It will be a different Penn State team that we faced in the past and it may make it more of a challenge," Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said. "When you saw Tiffany Weimer play for four years, you knew what to expect. And now there are some unknown elements that could be a challenge for us."
With both teams loaded with talent and hungry for a conference title, the outcome of this game could ultimately decide the Big Ten and will definitely add to a budding rivalry.
"This has been a challenging rivalry for the last several years and I think it will continue to be. It's two great women's soccer teams that need to challenge each other," Rayfield said.
"There is no doubting that this is a great matchup within the conference."
