Averaging .5 goals per game, it's not difficult to see why the Penn State men's soccer team is struggling to win.

But head coach Barry Gorman won't call it a scoring drought. More like an anomaly.

"You're worried as a coach if you're not getting shots, if you're not getting chances," Gorman said. "[The goals] are going to come. We have too many players on the squad capable of scoring."

The No. 13 Nittany Lions (1-3, 0-0) managed to score only two goals -- both in their win against Hartwick -- during their first four games, but outshot opponents in two of their losses.

The Lions dominated the first half of last Sunday's game against No. 5 North Carolina, notching the first seven shots of the match, before Tar Heels sophomore Brian Shriver took the wind out of their sails with a one-touch goal. It proved to be all UNC needed in a 1-0 win.

"Their goalkeeper had three absolute big-time saves," Gorman said.

Penn State junior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor has made some huge saves of his own, keeping the team alive in every match.

Despite the struggles, he said that he is not frustrated with the lack of offensive output so far.

"In the UNC game, we had the majority of the chances. We were much more dangerous than they were," Taylor said. "We just let up an unfortunate goal."

Still, Taylor is confident in proclaiming the game as Penn State's turnaround contest for the rest of the season.

"Everyone likes to win, but a slow start is par for the course for this team," Taylor said, referencing 2005's 0-4-1 start.

"We're still making changes as we're going along," sophomore forward Jason Yeisley
said. "It's gonna come. We've been having some freshmen playing up top, still mixing it
up trying to find the right combination."

One of those freshmen -- forward Jacobo Vera of Spain -- scored the game-winner against Hartwick, and has been sharing the field with Yeisley trying to create more opportunities. The Lions are also trying to capitalize on the speed of senior Simon Omekanda.

"Simon can beat anyone down the line. He's our fastest player," Yeisley said. "We're taking advantage of Simon getting back and some of my advantages in running behind [the defense]."

The Lions hope that the combination of heading home to Jeffrey Field for Friday's match with San Francisco, and the return of key players from injury will create more chances and turn some of those missed opportunities into goals.

"The guys are familiar with the whole setup," Gorman said. "It's the little, dopey things on the road. You're not sleeping in your own bed, you have a different meal pattern, your friends and family aren't always there to cheer for you. Everything is conducive to our players at home."

History seems to agree with Gorman. Even after last year's slow start, the Lions lost only one contest at home, a 1-0 thriller against UCLA.

"The size of the field is real important. We just play really well on a big, wide field," Taylor said. "The grass is fast [at Jeffrey], it plays to our advantages as a team."

When his team takes the field, Gorman will still be mixing and matching players, trying to find the exact recipe for success.

"We're trying a different combination with Jason and Jacobo up front," Gorman said. "We always have Simon in there. We're doing a lot of work on finishing. We're almost there."