Nicole Denenberg is not just getting ready for a typical conference game; rather, the senior forward is preparing to play with the hopes of keeping her collegiate career alive.

The Illinois soccer team heads into the Big Ten Tournament with a date against No. 4-seeded Minnesota on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. While an at-large big in the NCAA tournament is still possible, the No. 5-seeded Illini are not guaranteed anything without a first-place finish this week.

“(I’m) excited to play. This is my final season so I’m playing every game like it’s my last and really just taking everything in before my career is over,” Denenberg said.

The Illini will travel to Bloomington, Ind., as the fifth seed in the tournament, which they won last season in an overtime thriller over Penn State. Though both Illinois’ and Minnesota’s Big Ten records are identical at 6-4-1, the Golden Gophers bested the Illini on Oct. 12 in a 3-0 affair. That loss started a three-game skid for Illinois earlier this month.

Since then, Illinois has turned things around a bit. Over its past two games, the offense has been at its best, scoring a combined seven goals. Illinois had scored two total goals in the three games prior, which were all losses. The Illini recorded wins in both games, including a comeback against No. 24 Michigan in which they rallied for three unanswered goals to win 3-2 in overtime, their first win against a ranked team this season.

“It certainly had an impact in terms of postseason opportunities and how a committee might look at us, but I think, more importantly, it had an impact in terms of our confidence heading into the Big Ten Tournament,” head coach Janet Rayfield said. “Scoring three goals against a really good team on the road certainly helps us in terms of going into this tournament with some confidence.”

Even though the Illini have heated up recently, they know that they cannot overlook Minnesota, especially after the Gophers’ strong showing earlier this year.

“They’re physically tough and they’re an athletic team,” Rayfield said. “They’re pacey in the back, and they’ve got some players that can really threaten to get behind (the defense). … We’ve got to try to keep the ball and keep it from being a track race up and down the field.”

Illinois thinks its adjustments after the previous matchup will make it look like a different team Wednesday morning. The Illini were without freshman forward Nicole Breece and senior forward Shayla Mutz at the time, and they have changed their formation. Rayfield said those changes, mixed with their recent confidence, will be a difference maker.

The Illini did not want to look too far past the first round, but they could ultimately be playing three games in only five days. It is something that Rayfield has expressed concern about, even after the experience they have from last season’s conference tournament.

“I don’t know (if we are ready in regards to conditioning), we went into last year saying we can win one game, and then we’ll take care of the next one,” Rayfield said. “I think we’ve worked a lot on recovery and what it takes to be ready to go again, so we’ll go after this first game and then worry about the next one.”

Charlie can be reached at [email protected].