The No. 15 Ohio State field hockey team will square off with No. 8 Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes will head to East Lansing for their meeting with the Spartans Friday at 3 p.m.

OSU is currently second in the Big Ten with a 3-1 conference record and the Spartans are alone in first with a 3-0 record. The winner will have the inside track to winning the Big Ten regular season championship and earning the number one seed for the conference tournament.

Senior goalkeeper Lindsay Quintiliani and junior forward Jena Cacciatore have both stressed that winning the Big Ten is the team’s top goal this season.

“We’re very confident this is our year,” said freshman forward Berta Queralt.

A win over Michigan State would be a crucial step toward achieving that goal, she said.

MSU holds the slight edge in the teams’ recent meetings, winning three of the last five.

Both teams are riding hot streaks coming into Friday’s matchup. The Spartans are currently on a seven-game win streak, while the Buckeyes bring in a four-game win streak and have won 10 of their last 11.

While the rankings seem to favor the Spartans, statistics are on the side of the Buckeyes.

OSU leads the Big Ten with six shutouts this season — twice as many as the Spartans. Along with shutouts the Buckeyes are also atop the conference in goals against average with 1.38.

The Buckeyes also edge out the Spartans in assists, due in large part to Queralt, who leads the Big Ten with 12.

Queralt and forward Maria Briones have been named Big Ten Freshman and Offensive Player of the Week respectively. It is the second week in a row the teammates received the awards.

Following Friday’s game, OSU will return home to face No. 13 Duke Sunday at 1 p.m. The game is Senior Day for the Buckeyes, as it is their final home game of the season.

The Buckeyes will look to stay hot at home, where they are 8-1 this season, but a victory Sunday will be no easy feat.

The Blue Devils enter the weekend with an overall record of just 8-7. However, their record is not a representation of their talent.

Duke has played nine ranked opponents in their 15 games this season, including four games against the nation’s top three teams. Because of Duke’s tough schedule they have remained ranked in the top 20 all season.

The Buckeyes are 2-3  this season against ranked opponents. The next two games will serve as a chance for OSU to prove it is among the nation’s elite.