The Penn State men's soccer team is expected to win.

This weekend, the Nittany Lions tried to do it without head coach Barry Gorman, the winningest coach in Penn State history. Sunday, they tried to do it without tri-captain Brent Jacquette.

The results? Not so sparkling. Though the No. 20 Lions scored a win at Northwestern Friday night, Wisconsin surprised them Sunday with a 2-1 upset.

Northwestern, a team that finished 0-6 in the Big Ten last season (1-13-3 overall), is no Indiana, the Big Ten juggernaut and perennial College Cup contender. Still, Penn State just barely edged the Wildcats, 2-1, and needed a late penalty kick from Jacquette to do it.

"We're expected to win those type games," Penn State interim head coach Marlon LeBlanc said.

The Lions had the chances to put the games away, but failed to capitalize. Penn State put the pressure on Northwestern, outshooting the Wildcats 16-6. Only three Penn State starters didn't record a shot, and one of them was the goalkeeper.

"They just kept coming at us for that second goal," Northwestern goalkeeper J.D. Martin said on the team's website.

Though the Lions would pull out the win, they were dealt a painful blow. In the 53rd minute of the game, Jacquette picked up his fifth yellow card of the season. According to NCAA rules, when a player earns his fifth yellow card, he is forced to sit out a mandatory one-game suspension his next game.

Jacquette's presence would be sorely missed against Wisconsin a couple days later.

"If he would've been in there, [Jacquette] would've brought a lot more leadership," freshman midfielder Brian Devlin said.

The Lions, who struggled defensively before Jacquette's move to defense earlier in the season, surrendered two goals without him. Penn State was uncharacteristically outshot in the second half, allowing seven shots.

"We ended up losing to a team that we should've beaten," Devlin said. "It's definitely frustrating."

Coach Gorman's absence isn't being used as an excuse.

"Coaches don't play the game," LeBlanc said. "Players play the game."

Though LeBlanc admits it feels differently not to have Gorman, who underwent surgery last Monday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, pacing the sidelines, he insists that things haven't changed.

"Coach Gorman is not what the guys are thinking about," he said.

In terms of Penn State's win-loss record, LeBlanc is right -- things haven't changed. The lack of consistent play that has plagued the Lions all season hindered them once again this weekend. Out of the six weekends that Penn State has played, the Lions walked away with one win and one loss in five.

Penn State just can't seem to climb high above the .500 mark. The Lions are 3-3 on the road this year and, more importantly, are 2-2 in their conference. If Penn State continues playing at its current pace, not only will its playoff hopes be in jeopardy, but Gorman may face his worst season since 1997, when the Lions went 10-10-1.