Barry Gorman knows his team is talented, but realizes there are still a lot of small things it needs to work on before the first match.

This weekend, Penn State travels to the New Hampshire Nike Classic to challenge Vermont and host-school New Hampshire in a two-match swing.

The Penn State men's soccer coach said that in last Saturday's exhibition match against St. Francis it was difficult to gauge the Nittany Lions offense because the Red Flash packed their defense back close to the goal.

However, the Lions might be short-handed on offense this weekend.

Two Penn State offensive starters are questionable, as midfielder Pete Shellenberger is suffering from a concussion and co-captain Ricardo Villar has an ankle injury.

Gorman said the team should be prepared, even though it is still the beginning of the season.

"You tend to go in cold in the first two games," he said, "but not as cold as some people think."

Since Shellenberger and Villar might be sidelined this weekend, other Penn State offensive leaders will have to step up and take on the workload left by the absent starters.

Lions junior midfielder Derek Potteiger said he knows what to expect from a lot of teams — especially early in the season when opponents haven't had the chance to scout.

Potteiger said the Lions offense will have a tough time putting balls in the net because opponents will pack their defense by the goal to keep Penn State from having a lot of open looks.

"We learned what some of the weaker teams are going to do this year," Potteiger said. "We are going to see that a lot more than not."

One advantage Penn State will have this season is its experience, since eight starters return and expectations of a Final Four appearance loom closer.

The Lions experience, mixed with a load of underclassmen talent, might be the right formula for success.

"The new guys coming in, they can play. So it's just a matter of them getting used to our system and fitting in," Penn State junior midfielder Greg Oldfield said. "But the majority of our team was around last year and that will definitely help us."

Gorman said experience will help early on, as the younger crop of players get used to the Lions' system.

But as the season progresses, the youth will have to contribute for Penn State to be victorious in the bigger matches like Indiana and into the Big Ten Tournament.

"We're putting new people in, so you know we'll be fine," Gorman said. "The guys who have been around awhile will definitely help us when it comes down to important games at the end of the year."