The phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff” does not apply to the Illinois women’s soccer team.

Ranked No. 21 and off to a 7-4 start, the Illini have played well this year but know that to take it to the next level and win a Big Ten title, they must focus on improving the small stuff.

“It’s the little things and consistency,” head coach Janet Rayfield said of her team’s biggest concerns. “We haven’t really yet played a full 90 minutes of the kind of soccer we are capable of.”

Rayfield said the team must be more disciplined on its restarts. It cost them last weekend in a 1-0 loss to Northwestern, as the team gave up its only goal off a corner kick and could not capitalize off 10 corners of its own.

“Defensively, we do everything right for 99 percent of the game,” senior defender Emily Zurrer said. “Then there’s that one moment where we’ll have a defensive breakdown that causes a goal.”

On offense, Illinois has been attacking well. The Illini outshot Northwestern, 19-11, and put seven of nine shots on goal in a win against Wisconsin.

However, a few minor offensive kinks need to be worked out in the final third of the offensive attack.

“It’s the decision making we make in the box in terms of what seam we try to find players in,” Rayfield said. “I think it’s the shape in our attacking box when we get in, that we don’t have too many players in the box and not enough depth in our attacking runs.”

The quest to take their game to the next level continues for the Illini this weekend, as they take on Michigan State (10-1, 2-0) and Michigan (3-5-3, 0-1-1) at home. The Spartans have ridden a dangerous offense to a hot start. They have scored at least two goals in every win this year, including last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing of Iowa that put them atop the Big Ten.

MSU attackers Laura Heyboer and Lauren Hill have been a wrecking crew thus far, netting 12 and nine goals, respectively.

Rayfield said the team will not change its defense tactically, but the defenders must focus on communicating.

“We’ll be aware of her (Heyboer),” Zurrer said. “But we’re not going to change anything we do because of her.”

Michigan State has not played in a game decided by one goal yet this season.

This could be an advantage for Illinois, as they are used to tough, close games, having gone 4-2 in one-goal games this year.

However, Rayfield said a key for the Illini will be how they respond after the first goal is scored, regardless of which team scores it.

“We need to make sure if we score the first goal that we continue to attack,” Rayfield said. “If they score the first goal, we have to realize we came out expecting to score.”

Although the Wolverines have struggled, Rayfield said it takes time to go through a coaching change and they could start clicking as a team at any moment.

With a chance to move up from the middle of the Big Ten standings, the Illini are excited.

“We’re pumped up for the game,” senior forward Jessica Levitt said. “Anytime we’re playing under the lights and representing our school and our home turf, we defend it with our lives.”