No matter how hard both sides try to downplay it, it is always a big deal when a team faces a former coach.

That will be the case for the No. 20 Penn State men's lacrosse team (2-2) at 1 p.m. tomorrow as it travels to New York to take on Stony Brook (2-1) and its first-year head coach Lars Tiffany. Tiffany spent the last for seasons as a well-respected and well-liked assistant coach for the Nittany Lions.

"We've tried to downplay it," Penn State coach Glenn Thiel said. "The kids have talked about it and are excited, especially some of the older guys. Lars recruited a lot of them. He was here four years and was very integral to this team, so it will be tough going up against him."

Tiffany was the top assistant to Thiel during his reign at Penn State, coordinating the defense and recruiting. His recruits helped the Lions earn their first-ever NCAA tournament bid in 2003, and he helped lay the foundation of this year's team. He left Penn State to take the head coaching job at Stony Brook last August and has gotten the Seawolves off to a good start.

"This game is really emotional for me," Tiffany said. "I really care about those guys. All of Penn State's players were part of the four recruiting classes I had. It's weird. My job this week is to beat the team I tried so hard to build.

"I have strong relationships with a lot of guys over there, and I have kept in contact with some of them. A big part of me wants them to play well this weekend, as weird as that sounds. I guess I have to just treat this game like a normal game week even though it's really not for me."

While the Lions are excited to face their former assistant coach, they must not let their emotions get the best them. Stony Brook has a very strong, balanced attack and a solid defense. The Seawolves have scored 35 goals in their first three games, led by attackman Bo Tripodi's eight, and they have six players with at least six points. Defensively, the Seawolves have only given up double-digit goals once, and they held Wagner to just two.

"The game is pretty even," Thiel said. "We are very similar teams. [Stony Brook's] midfielders play with a lot of energy. We have to control the ball and pace ourselves or else they can hurt us."

Statistically, the teams are very similar. Penn State has a fairly balanced attack with six players with at least five points, and its leading goalscorer, Nate Whitaker, with eight goals.

The main difference between the teams has been the level of competition they have faced. The Lions have faced much stiffer competition than the Seawolves. Penn State split its first four games, all against top-20 teams. Stony Brook on the other hand, has only faced one top-20 team, No. 10 Massachusetts, losing that game 10-7.

Still, with injuries limiting practice time and continuity, the Lions have had trouble staying organized and patient on the field. They are still banged up, but attackman Brian Boyle and midfielder Chris Gannett are finally close to 100 percent. Thiel hopes the team will start to show signs of coming together tomorrow.

"We haven't been able to practice the way we need to in order to play at our highest level," Thiel said. "We will be better down the line and hopefully we will start to blend this weekend."