After shutting out its two most recent out-of-conference opponents, the women’s soccer team will start ACC play with a visit to Miami today at 7 p.m. and then play at Florida State on Sunday at noon.

The team is looking to improve on last year’s record of 3-7 against ACC teams. The team got off to a fast start, as it has this year, but struggled in the games that mattered most.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Little said the Pack has to “step up” its play to compete with its conference rivals.

“Everything gets a lot faster,” Little said. “I mean, we play in one of the best conferences in the nation. You’re playing against national team players on some of the other teams, so the play gets faster. The shots get harder, so I’m really excited about that — the level of play getting higher.”

Miami, like N.C. State, relies on a young squad led by a handful of veterans. Hurricanes freshman forward Brittney Steinbruch, who State coach Laura Kerrigan said is “fantastic,” enters today’s game with nine goals and one assist.

“The key will be shutting her down,” Kerrigan said.

State is looking to protect its six-game undefeated streak, but it faces some stiff competition. Miami sports a three-game undefeated streak of its own, and FSU has not dropped a game at home since Sept. 22, 2005. The Seminoles have a home record of 22-0-2 in that time.

“Florida State is a highly technical team,” Kerrigan said. “They basically could put on a clinic on how you possess, cross and finish. What’s gonna be key for us is to: One, squash the crosses; two, mark tightly in the box; and three, maintain possession ourselves because the longer you have the ball, the less time they have to score.”

Whether or not the team scores will depend largely on Little’s play. She has not allowed a goal in her past two starts, but she said her shutout streak does not weigh heavily on her mind.

“I don’t want to think about it, really,” Little said. “I don’t want to jinx myself.”

Junior midfielder Tami Krzeszewski said her team can’t afford to lose the two upcoming games.

“It’s always a hard-fought battle against Miami, and we just need to put them away,” Krzeszewski said. “Florida State’s awesome, and if we just go out there and play hard, we’ll be fine.”