For the Penn State men's soccer team, parallels to the 2005 season border on irritating. The same disappointing start (1-4-1). The utter lack of goal scoring (three goals scored in six games).

However, this weekend, a chance to create another, more esteemed parallel begins.

The Nittany Lions begin their defense of the Big Ten title 2 p.m. Sunday at Jeffrey Field when they take on No. 27 Michigan State (5-1-0). The Lions shut out the Spartans in both of their meetings last year en route to an undefeated conference season.

Head coach Barry Gorman hopes his team, plagued by some early season nagging injuries to key players, is completely healthy and geared up to start its quest for a repeat.

Senior All-America defender Markku Viitanen hasn't played in more than two weeks, and midfielder Jeff Chambers left Sunday's game against Boston University with a leg injury. Junior defender Geordie MacNeill was also banged up against the Terriers.

All three were being held out of practice, and Gorman said he is unsure if any will be available on Sunday. He said the team is ready to go without them if need be. The injuries have allowed Gorman to give younger players some game experience, which could prove invaluable during a late-season run.

"You don't practice, you don't play," he said. "It's unfair, you gotta prepare the team to play."

Gorman said that Viitanen went through a workout but was unsure if he would be set for Sunday.

Senior defender David Gray, who assumed the captain armband from Chambers when he exited the game, believes the Lions have a great shot even without some key parts.

"We match up well with any team," Gray said. "We're athletic, we run well, we play with high energy. We just have to bring it all at the same time."

Dominating time of possession against Boston in the 1-1 tie, the Penn State offense showed signs of breaking out, but missed some key chances. Doing the same against Michigan State and converting could prove to be a lot more difficult.

Spartan senior goalkeeper Jason Tillman shut out both Butler and No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth this past weekend, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Tillman leads the Big Ten in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts.

Lions senior forward Simon Omekanda reiterated that missed chances, not a lack of shots, has hurt them early this season. He expects the Spartans to employ the same defensive strategies many opponents have had success with so far, but said the Lions have finally begun to crack the code.

Omekanda notched his first assist of the season against Boston, setting up Jason Yeisley for the game-tying goal.

"Michigan State likes to sit deep against us and pack the midfield," Omekanda said. "We're going to try to do the same thing [as last weekend]. Be offensive, keep the ball, get a lot of shots. Hopefully, this time, we get some in."