Following a practice that ran late, the workhorse of the defense looks untested, despite going against some of the best Penn State goal-scorers ever.

After a seven-month break, she's grateful to be playing again. She has missed getting in the scraps that have given her the reputation as one of the more physical enforcers in the nation, anchoring Penn State's side of the field with senior goalie Erin McLeod.

"I've never really had a nickname," Natalie Jacobs said, musing over the possibility.

She searches back further in her memory to recall if anybody had ever dubbed her with a word or phrase that categorized her "Tenacious D." Surely her frequent takedowns and slide tackles have earned the All-American something along the way.

"My parents sometimes joke around and call me 'Mack' or 'Macky,' " she said. "You know, because it's like hitting a Mack Truck. When you get hit by one, you know what happens."

This past weekend the Mack was back.

Around this time last year, Jacobs discovered she had bone chips in her left knee, causing a fluid build-up in the area. She persevered through the season, earning All-America honors in the process.

In December, she was taken off the road and garaged, as she underwent a bone graft. She missed the entire spring season.

She began workouts in July for this upcoming season, but Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins has been tentative with her defensive star, listing her status as "day-to-day" despite playing the entire game on Sunday in a 2-1 win over Connecticut.

Two days earlier, following a 3-2 win over No. 20 Washington, Jacobs saw only 15 minutes of action, with Wilkins maintaining that Jacobs was not yet in game shape.

But after gaining a two-goal lead over Washington, the No. 8 Nittany Lions lost the intensity they usually bring -- something Macky never forgets.

"Her attitude alone contributes to the attitude of the team. She's a hustler," senior forward Carmelina Moscato said. "We know she's not ever going to give up and she won't lose a tackle. She won't back down. So having her sort of goes through the team, that attitude."

With Jacobs reinserted in the lineup, last year's team is intact; last year's team had the second seed in the College Cup tournament before being bounced in the first round by Maryland. It'd be understandable if Jacobs was a bit gun-shy upon her return. After all, she had parts of bones in places they didn't belong.

But that has not been the case. When she gets tangled up, if she's going down, she makes sure somebody's going with her. Or so it seems.

"Girls, they just like to tussle with me," she said in her defense.

And what about the Paul Posluszny-esque wrap-ups and form tackles?

"No, I would never take anybody down on purpose," she said with a wry smile.

Occasionally, however, one does slip by. But that goal scorer would have to be really, really good ... or able to use a little chicanery of her own.

In practice, Penn State soccer legend and the program's all-time women's goal scoring leader, Christie Welsh, beat Jacobs on a 50-50 ball up the sideline.

"That ball was out. I could've kept running, but you know ... And I was like 'you know that ball was out,' " Jacobs said. "She didn't say anything, she just blew right by me."

Instead of complaining, she stayed positive, as she laughed it off, chalking it up to if you're going to get beat, it might as well be by one of the best in the world.

Win or lose, this Mack just keeps on trucking.