Trap games happen in every sport. They are games that are played against inferior opponents -- usually on the road -- between a huge win and an even more meaningful game.

This is the situation that the Penn State men's soccer team finds itself in when it travels to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell University tonight at 7.

The Nittany Lions (6-6-2, 4-0-0 Big Ten) did not play well when they were in a similar situation earlier in the season. Following its upset of No. 12 Maryland on Sept. 21, Penn State was winless in its next two games against George Mason and St. Bonaventure before it played rival No. 8 Indiana on Oct. 1.

"I'm not really concerned," Penn State men's soccer coach Barry Gorman. "Players would rather play than practice anyway."

Speaking of practice, maybe it's a combination of winning or just guys becoming comfortable with each other, but Penn State's practices have more carefree and fun than they were at the beginning of the season. At yesterday's practice the team did some one-on-one drills that seemed to be more geared toward being fun than preparing for Cornell. But, Gorman says it's because he wants his players to want to come to practice, and he would like them to be fresh and upbeat as game time approaches.

Whatever the reason is, the players have been taken aback by this change, especially for a coach who once made his team practice directly following a loss.

"We've been taking it easy the last two weeks, it's been kind of surprising," Penn State co-captain Brian Devlin said.

Even though practices have been light, Gorman preached focus to his team yesterday in practice and reminded it that it is finally back to .500.

"We just need to keep getting wins under our belts," Gorman said. "With our strength of schedule, if we win out we should get at least an at-large bid."

The Lions will look to continue their winning ways against a relatively young Cornell squad. The current three-game winning streak for Penn State is a direct result of the tremendous defense and goal-keeping it has displayed all season.

The Lions' consistency on the back line can possibly be traced back to the rest they received during the light practices of recent weeks. Penn State hasn't made any of the simple fatigue-related mistakes that often lead to soft goals, which is something common for a team that plays in a conference as difficult as the Big Ten.

"We haven't needed a whole lot of work on our fitness lately," Gorman said. "We've played some real tough games lately so I've given the players who played the day off after most games."

One thing that always has a shot against fresh legs is young legs, and Cornell (3-5-2, 2-1 Ivy) has plenty of that.

The Big Red's youth -- 17 underclassmen -- is the main reason for the team's poor start. Yet on the stat sheet, Cornell is almost a spitting image of Penn State offensively, scoring a little over one goal per game, but it is its defense that separates the two squads. The Big Red is averaging almost two goals against per game, which is next to last in the Ivy League.

The ignorance of youth is the perfect ingredient for a team trying to sneak up on another team because the players don't know they are supposed to lose.

But, with Michigan State and the Big Ten regular season title looming on the horizon, no one would blame the Lions for looking past the second-place team in the Ivy League. Gorman, though, sees it differently.

"We don't want to be a scalp in their belts," Gorman said.