They may be riding high from their first berth in the Big East tournament since 1997 and may have a better record, but sophomore midfielder Brian Devlin isn't too worried about Villanova.

"I don't think they are a good team at all," he said. "We should beat them 4-0 if we play well."

Confident considering today will be the first time in a month the Penn State men's soccer team (7-8) enters a game after a win when they take on Villanova (10-6-1) at 2 p.m. at Villanova's West Campus Soccer and Tennis Complex.

With a goal -- and some post-goal celebration artistry -- by Devlin, the Nittany Lions snapped a five-game losing streak with a 1-0 win against Lehigh.

It's been awhile since the Lions have had success to dwell on, but the players and coaches aren't ready to give up on this season.

"If I were a team playing against us, I would be worried," Penn State men's soccer coach Barry Gorman said. " At any point, I would say this team is going to break out of its slump. We can be the best team in the country."

The reality is Penn State has the lowest winning percentage in the conference -- .467. Lower than (gasp!) Northwestern.

A win or loss for the Lions against Villanova would be purely a psychological one. At this point, an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament is probably out of the question for Penn State.

Of course, the Lions could use a boost heading into the part of their schedule that will make or break their season.

If the Lions have any chance at proving they are one of the best teams in the country -- as Gorman believes they are -- they will have to win the Big Ten tournament.

Penn State appears to be headed for the tournament-low seven seed -- meaning they will probably have to beat both Indiana and Michigan to win the title for a second straigh year.