The Penn State men's soccer team is running out of chances to recharge its motivational batteries and resurrect its season.

This weekend can either be the turning point or the beginning of the end for the Nittany Lions (3-7-1, 2-1 Big Ten), which serve as host to two high quality Mid-American Conference teams in Akron and Buffalo at Jeffrey Field tomorrow night at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 3.

The Lions have seen their once promising season eroded by injuries, losing All-America candidate Jason Yeisley for the season to a knee injury and most recently losing leading scorer Barkley Miller, on top of about half-a-dozen others whose names have shown up on the injury report.

After plowing its way through the Big Ten schedule last year, winning every conference game, the team is 2-1 this year in Big Ten games, and if there is hope to salvage the year, it will have to play its conference foes well.

Although this weekend's games are both non-conference, the Lions know the momentum has to start somewhere if they're to rebound.

"We're having problems setting the pace," midfielder Daniel Martini said. "It's been our problem the whole season."

"We just have to stay positive," forward Simon Omekanda said. "We have to find a way to win."

As optimistic as the team can be, the injuries and the losing clearly take their toll.

"I feel frustrated for the kids," head coach Barry Gorman said. "From a coaching point of view these things don't bug you anymore. It doesn't surprise you."

A two-win weekend, especially against teams like the Zips and Bulls, would do wonders for team confidence and possibly spark the somewhat-depleted powder keg that is the Penn State offense.

The Zips will take Jeffrey Field with a scary-good defense, having allowed only one goal in their last 800-plus minutes of conference play.

Their goalkeeper, Even Bush, has been padding his shutout stats, but has only had to make seven saves in his last eight games, four of those against Ohio State.

Struggling away from the MAC, the Zips have lost their last two non-conference games and are 4-6 against the Big Ten since 2004.

Entering the weekend, Buffalo has won six of its last seven, including its last five games on the road. The Bulls haven't allowed a goal on the road since the first week of September.

Each team should be a challenge for the surprisingly anemic Penn State offense to score on, especially in its weakened state.

Nonetheless, Gorman's team will push forward through the weekend.

"No point in crying about that," he said. "You just got to soldier on."