One week from today, the Penn State field hockey team will open its Big Ten slate against Michigan State. But first, there are two Atlantic 10 teams to be reckoned with.

The No. 7 Nittany Lions (5-0) will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to take on St. Joseph's at 12 noon tomorrow and West Chester at 12 noon on Sunday. Both games will be played at St. Joe's.

Penn State is currently riding an 11-game winning streak over non-conference opponents. The team is fresh off two wins over top-20 teams -- 2-1 over then-No. 6 North Carolina last Sunday and 2-0 over No. 20 Syracuse on Wednesday.

One would think that with numbers like that, the confidence would be flowing, but according to junior forward Heather Conroy, the confidence level is in check.

"I think we're doing a good job of keeping our heads grounded and playing each team to the best of our ability," Conroy said.

"You need to go against every team and take them like it's the national championship game."

St. Joe's (3-1) and West Chester (3-3), both unranked teams, are fresh off their own shutout victories, a 3-0 win over Lehigh University and a 2-0 win over Villanova, respectively.

So despite Michigan State looming on the horizon, no team can be taken for granted.

With back-to-back games, this weekend will be a good test for Big Ten competition.

This weekend, the Lions will try to add consistency and hope to solidify their play.

As usual, the team will be focusing on playing "their game."

According to Conroy and Penn State field hockey coach Char Morett, defense has been the strong point throughout the season, especially with junior goalie Annie Zinkavich recording three shutouts.

The Lions have allowed only two goals in five games.

"Defense is what's keeping us in the games," Conroy said.

"We're getting the job done on offense and scoring just enough goals to beat our opponents."

Morett wants to see better communication between the midfielders and forwards this weekend.

Still, she was pleased with the way the team scored during the Syracuse game -- Amanda Eckert and Conroy both scored goals from the field instead of off penalty corners.

According to Morett, the team is relying too much on corner situations.

"It would be nice to see us score more from the field," Morett said.

"We're looking to get more scoring opportunities from the field."

So after this weekend, the Lions will possibly be riding a 14-game non-conference winning streak and will be able to start on a new winning streak.

One against Big Ten foes.