A year ago, they were both on the Jeffrey Field sideline barking orders, coordinating offenses and harassing refs.

Tonight you can see the same scenario, but with a slightly different color scheme.

Penn State alumnus and former Nittany Lions assistant coach, Marlon LeBlanc, will make his first appearance back in Happy Valley when his No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers bring a potent offense up against Barry Gorman's Penn State men's soccer team (3-6-1, 2-0 Big Ten).

LeBlanc, who left the Lions in July to take the reigns of the West Virginia program, played for Gorman in the early 90s and has spent the last five seasons working under him.

"I've taken bits and pieces from everybody I've worked with," LeBlanc said, "Coach Gorman basically exposed me to a lot of great opportunities and networking, like the World Cup and European championships. He gave me a great chance to develop my own style."

Since taking control of the Mountaineer program, LeBlanc has had far more success than his mentor, tallying seven wins in nine games, including a 5-3 drubbing of Seton Hall on Sunday, and steadily maintaining a top-10 ranking.

The Lions haven't been as successful, stumbling out of the gate and struggling to score goals despite winning their first two conference games.

The brightest spot on the season has been goalkeeper Conrad Taylor, last week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. His performance at Northwestern this past weekend almost single-handedly secured the win for the Lions.

Their defense also recently received a boost with the injection of All-Big Ten defender Markku Viitanen into the lineup, returning from an early season ankle injury.

Those two and the Penn State defensive unit figure to have their hands full with the Mountaineers offense, which is capable of blowing any game open.

West Virginia forward and Big East Player of the Week, Jarrod Smith, has been the bane of opposing defenses this year, pouring in eight goals and assisting on three others.

To win their first game of the year against a ranked opponent, the Lions will have to contain Smith and the West Virginia forwards, as their unexpectedly meek offensive attack could struggle against Mountaineer goalkeeper Nick Noble.

Noble, who holds the West Virginia career record for shutouts (30), has allowed more than one goal only three times this year.

If the game turns into a shootout, the Lions will need their offense, including the all-of-a-sudden hot Barkley Miller and quick-footed forward Simon Omekanda, to raise their game.

LeBlanc, whose team is atop the Big East's Blue Division, knows as much about this Penn State team as anyone and what a win here would mean for his program.

"Beating Penn State would be a nice victory for our team and a good non-conference win," LeBlanc said, "but there's no extra meaning in beating your alma mater or your old coach.

"It's nice to be back, but for our team it's just another game and it's no more important than the last or the next game on the schedule. We've had some good wins this year and this would be another one."