After three straight shutout victories, the Penn State men's soccer team finally appears to be back on track.

"We're certainly going in the right direction," assistant coach Marlon LeBlanc said.

"Winning brings confidence, and three straight shutouts will certainly help boost the morale."

Fans will be able to see just how far that confidence carries the Nittany Lions on Sunday at 2 p.m. when they square off against Big Ten rival Michigan on the road.

The Wolverines have struggled as of late, going 1-4-0 in their last five contests.

It's been a completely different story for the Lions, however. They're 4-1-0 in their last five.

While head coach Barry Gorman was unavailable for comment, LeBlanc acknowledged that Penn State is preparing to face another stingy defense.

It will have to be on it's toes against an inconsistent Michigan team.

One of the Lions' main concerns a few weeks ago was their inability score against defenses that routinely set 10 or 11 players back.

That's one thing they may be forced to deal with again in Ann Arbor.

"We saw teams that were sitting back against us, and maybe we didn't do as good a job at preparing," LeBlanc said.

"But you've seen that turnaround now in the last three games where we've faced packed defenses and we're scoring goals.

"The difference has really been a focus on 'let's not panic; let's still play our kind of soccer.' "

That type of relaxed style has certainly improved the team in quite a good way.

The change helped Penn State recover from a six-game stretch that saw it go 1-3-2.

Another reason the Lions have come on strong is their ability to spread the ball around.

Fifteen different players have scored goals for Penn State this season, and that type of balance has certainly aided the Lions in throwing off the competition.

"We've got different guys that are contributing and it's very difficult for our opponents because they don't know who to shut down," LeBlanc said.

During the six game 1-3-2 stretch only 10 goals were scored by the Lions, compared to six scored in the last three wins.

This game is vital if Penn State wants to move up in the Big Ten Championship Tournament seedings.