At one point or another, every team has to deal with injuries. Most of the time that comes toward the latter part of the season, after a team has already established some continuity. For the Penn State men's lacrosse team, injuries have not even allowed it the luxury of finding out what kind of team it can be.

The No. 21 Nittany Lions take on No. 14 Ohio State at 1 p.m. Saturday in Holuba Hall, but they will not be the same Lions that defeated the Buckeyes 5-4 last year.

While Penn State does return 17 players, many of them key contributors, injuries have crippled the team. The Lions have not practiced as a full squad all preseason, and Penn State coach Glen Thiel has not been able to see the team he envisioned in the fall.

"It might be awhile before we see what Penn State lacrosse will be like," Thiel said. "Whether we see that this Saturday, I don't know. You'll see energy. You'll see kids flying around and hitting people, but whether we'll be good enough, I don't know."

What Thiel does know is that he will be without several players when the Lions take the field against their border rivals.

Last year's leading scorer Nate Whitaker and Notre Dame transfer Brian Boyle, both starters on attack, have been out the entire preseason and will not play. Defender Matt Mulqueen broke his leg, and freshman goalie, Chris Courteau, has a broken thumb. Both were slated to start.

Sickness has hit the team as well, leaving Thiel with several question marks as to what he has available. Penn State may be forced to play several players out of position, especially using midfielders on attack. Will Cutler, Gil Pearsall and Marc Young may play attack to fill in on Saturday.

"We've fought through a lot of injuries and sickness," Thiel said. "Where we are, I have no idea whatsoever. We'll find out on Saturday. I think we can be very different six weeks from now. We'll just see what we have out there. What we have out there could be comical."

The Buckeyes will be a tough challenge for Penn State. Ohio State brings back a lot of experience from a team that made an NCAA tournament appearance and defeated four ranked opponents last year, including Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 10.

"Notre Dame is one of the top teams coming back and Ohio State beat them last year," Thiel said. "I just hope we're ready."