Coach Glenn Thiel knew this season would be a challenging one, but he didn't expect an 0-3 start, including two heartbreaking road losses.

Nonetheless, the men's lacrosse team has turned it around as of late, with the No. 19 Lions pulling off three straight convincing wins to boost their record to 5-5.

With this, Penn State has laid the foundation for the future as the squad plays its season finale at 2 p.m. tomorrow at No. 18 Delaware.

"We're playing as good a lacrosse as I think we're capable of at this point," Thiel said. "We're at our peak and where we want to be right now."

But the Lions were far from that point in the beginning of the season. They experienced tough losses to Navy and Towson State, and things didn't get better, thanks to the 25-3 thrashing at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina.

"I've never been on a team in any sport that started out this bad," tri-captain Craig Driver said. "What happened earlier this season should help motivate the younger guys."

Motivation was also a problem for this team at times this season. Especially against Rutgers and Hobart, the Lions came out flat and empty. If not for that, Penn State could be 8-2 at this point and in the thick of the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid.

"If the ball bounced our way, this could be a different situation right now," defenseman Will Kastroll said. "At the beginning of the season, I saw this team going to the playoffs. It's absolutely heartbreaking that we could be near an NCAA berth right now, and it's something that I think about all the time. At the beginning of the season, I saw a lot of young, great players but things just didn't come together."

One key problem for the Lions early in the year was the loss of All-American Alex Schoonmaker in the season opener against Navy. The defenseman suffered a knee sprain in the opening quarter and missed the next four games.

Coupled with the loss of tri-captain Pete Makover, who suffered a preseason back injury, Penn State had a number of holes to fill, not including the graduation of goalie J.J. Pearl.

But Pearl's replacement, freshman goalie Jason Johnson, has gradually won the job this season, and has shown what he is capable of.

"Jason has progressed very nicely," Thiel said. "He has learned and grown a lot this season and has been showing a lot of confidence. It's a frustrating position and a pressure cooker especially for a freshman. He is a good athlete, and as he gets better, we will be able to do more on defense."

For Johnson, has been a season of trials and tribulation.

"I started out a little slow," Johnson said. "But with some experience, I started to play better and got to know the defense better. We also pulled together as a unit in the past few games."

As for the departing seniors, they will leave some significant vacancies.

"Chris Lehman and Mike Quinn will be missed on attack," Thiel said. "Lehman was a four-year starter and Quinn started two years. Chris Marcus at midfield will leave a big hole for us, as well as with faceoffs."

Lehman leaves the team as the No. 4 all-time leading scorer. But Thiel does have many quality people returning.

"We will still be solid on defense," Thiel said. "We have some good experience at midfield. This team will have some good depth and if some people step up and give us some more production, we should be in good shape."