If the Penn State women's soccer team is to finish the Big Ten regular season with eight wins for the eighth consecutive season, it will need to carefully monitor a Badger and a Wildcat.

More specifically, the No. 9 Nittany Lions will be focusing on Wisconsin senior midfielder Kara Kabellis and Northwestern junior forward Kelsey Hans when they complete conference play this weekend.

With a Big Ten championship gingerly hanging in the balance, Penn State must limit the amount of scoring chances that both players usually get in order to keep its shot at a ninth straight conference title alive.

"Wisconsin has a lot of good players, but they have Kabellis, who is very good in the air and good on set pieces in the midfield," head coach Paula Wilkins said at Tuesday's practice. "Northwestern is in the same situation. They have Hans, who is very dangerous and difficult for us to handle up front."

Both Kabellis and Hans are near the top of their respective teams in scoring, and are major reasons why Wisconsin and Northwestern are close to clinching spots in the upcoming conference tournament.

Kabellis serves as a co-captain for the Badgers and was a 2005 first-team All-Big Ten selection. With four goals and three assists this season, she ranks third overall on her team in scoring and second amongst midfielders.

Meanwhile, Hans leads the Wildcats in scoring with six goals, including three game-winners, and four assists. She was also the lone goal-scorer in last Sunday's upset win against Indiana that gave Penn State sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

In just her third year, Hans has rewritten much of Northwestern's history books and is on pace to be the school's all-time leader in goals and points.

Yet, while both have enjoyed success as individuals, their teams have become thorns in Penn State's side.

During last season's 23-0-2 run to the national semifinal, the Lions avoided two scares on the road to beat the Badgers and Wildcats.

"We always have problems with both of these teams," Wilkins said. "Last year against Wisconsin, we went into overtime and, against Northwestern, we won 2-1.

"They were both close games [last year] and I expect them to be close games this year."

Penn State's ironclad defense will not make things easy for Kabellis and Hans. And while both players will look to lead their teams to victories, their coaches will be focusing on how to stop the Lions' plethora of scorers.

"Both of [Penn State's] forwards, each having eight and seven goals on the season, we have to stop for sure," Wisconsin head coach Dean Duerst said.

Those forwards, junior Aubrey Aden-Buie and freshman Katie Schoepfer, both lead the team in total points with 18 each and are No. 1 and No. 2 in goals scored.

Duerst also mentioned sophomore midfielder Allie Long as another player that his team must watch.

If the Badgers manage to shut down Aden-Buie and Schoepfer, it will help their chances of an upset. But, according to Duerst, it won't make it any easier.

"Penn State is able to score with just about anybody. Our goal is to get a shuout, so we have to shut down those two frontrunners," he said.

"We have to play our best game, though. Everybody in the conference has to do that to match their athleticism and ability."