Hobart managed to be more efficient on its clears, picked up more ground balls and fired more shots than the No. 18 Penn State men's lacrosse team.

The difference: the Statesmen don't have a goalie like Nittany Lions freshman Drew Adams.

For the third week in a row, Penn State (5-3, 3-1 ECAC) had the good fortune of plentiful saves by Adams -- 12 of his 17 coming in the first half -- en route to a 9-4 victory at Hobart on Saturday. That Adams constant has also equated to three straight wins for the Lions.

"He was the difference-maker," Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel said. "You couldn't ask for anything more."

Each victory has come with a lower goal total by the opposing team. Adams allowed six goals against Fairfield, relinquished five to Massachusetts and now the number has dipped once again.

If the trend continues, Adams is due for a shutout at Villanova on April 28. After hearing that, Penn State assistant coach Guy Van Arsdale burst out in laughter.

"We're not counting on that," he said. "But you can't downplay how the guys in front of him are playing."

Additions and subtractions have been the norm. The latest performance marked the return of senior defenseman and tri-captain Keith Benjamin, but he only played sparingly off of the bench.

Yet the other defensemen have meshed into a solid unit, which forced the Statesmen (3-4, 0-4) into shots far outside the crease.

"We made Hobart shoot the type of shot that we expect Drew to handle," Van Arsdale said.

At the same time, Penn State continued to be hampered by injuries on the offensive side, as senior midfielder Chris Gannet sat out.

But the numbers on the offensive side of the field reminded everyone that enough depth remained for the big play. Three players registered two goals and one assist -- senior attacker John Eremus, junior midfielder Gil Pearsall and sophomore midfielder Bubba Scott.

Eremus is known for his scoring, ranking second on the team in the goal department, but the same can't be said for the latter two.

Against Hobart, Pearsall debuted in the scorers' column in only his third appearance of the year after returning from a knee injury. While Scott registered his fifth and sixth goal of the season, the assist was his first helper.

"It's nice that we have a lot of people that can contribute in different spots and pick up the slack," Van Arsdale said. "We are not generating a greater volume of shots, but a better quality of shot."

Even freshman midfielder Matt Warner, who has contributed primarily on the defensive side this season, found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career. Coincidentally, it came in his first game back home in Geneva, N.Y.

The ball found its home in between the pipes more times than in Hobart senior goalie Mike DeSantis' grasp. DeSantis notched eight saves, less than half of Adams' sum.

That added up to a Lions win.

"This is what we've seen from Drew since the first day he walked on campus," Van Arsdale said. "He's not playing above his head. It's Drew's level of play."