Penn State's overall record: 10-7. Penn State's conference record: 3-3.

What's the significance of either figure heading into the Penn State men's soccer team's matchup against No. 14 Lehigh? None.

Forget Virginia. Forget Indiana. The Nittany Lions' most important game of the season is tonight when they travel to Lehigh (10-4-1) for a 7 p.m. matchup at Ulrich Field. The game was rescheduled after an early winter storm dumped a mix of snow, ice and rain on the region.

While a win won't necessarily guarantee the Lions a spot in the NCAA tournament, a loss will make the road to the tournament as impossible as driving through I-80 during a blizzard.

"We need to get a big result," Penn State senior tri-captain Ben Dawson said. "We don't want to rely on the Big Ten [tournament]."

Because of the postponing of the match against Lehigh and the cancellation of a match against Old Dominion, Penn State hasn't played a game since it upset then-No. 14 Boston College on the road on Oct. 27. The Lions are hoping that the rescheduling of their game against the Mountain Hawks won't curb their momentum.

"I think [the time off] will be good," Dawson said. "The rest of the guys have had a few knocks. The time off has given us a chance to recover and focus."

Penn State interim men's soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc sees the rescheduling as a golden opportunity. A second straight win over a top-ranked team on the road will could help the Lions when they are considered for a NCAA tournament bid. At the very least, a win will help Penn State to increase its momentum heading into the Big Ten tournament to be held at Penn State Nov. 14-17.

Though Penn State thought it had given away the No. 2 seed in the tournament, there is currently a four-way tie among Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin for second place. Because no team other than Indiana has been a force in the Big Ten, a couple of consecutive wins can give a team an extra push heading into the tournament.

"We want to go into the Big Tens on a winning note," LeBlanc said.

The Lions will have a tough time doing that against a Mountain Hawk team that has been ranked first in the Middle Atlantic region three weeks in a row, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The Hawks, 0-8-3 against the Lions all-time, will be hungry and looking for revenge after Penn State shut them down last year, 1-0, at Jeffrey Field.

Penn State, currently standing at fifth in the region, will also have to contend with a stingy Lehigh defense that posted shutouts in six of seven games during one stretch this season.

Because Penn State isn't likely to see many scoring opportunities, the Lions must remain patient and hold onto the ball until an opportunity opens up, Dawson said.