It's no secret.

The Penn State men's soccer team has struggled to get the ball in the net all season. There have been signs of life on offense, but nothing consistent.

So how have the Nittany Lions (4-7-2, 2-1 Big Ten) managed to stay afloat, despite all the warning signs of a sinking ship? Simple. They're starting to create the same exact problem for their opponents.

"Our defense is just playing well," Penn State head coach Barry Gorman said. "We're unsettled with injuries and getting people out there. Credit to the kids, they're battling through that stuff."

Gorman's defense, though solid throughout the year, entered lockdown mode this past weekend. In a scoreless tie with No. 18 Akron and a 3-0 win against Buffalo, a combination of grizzled veterans and talented, though inexperienced, youngsters allowed the MAC opponents to muster only six shots on goal combined, and helped earn goalkeeper Conrad Taylor his first two shutouts of the season.

"Hopefully it's a big confidence boost," senior defender David Gray said. "We tie a great team like Akron, then the offense busts out."

Gray has been one of the few Lions able to avoid missing extended time with an injury. Fellow defender and captain Markku Viitanen is playing a bit hobbled on a sprained ankle, and injuries to the Lions' front lines have forced a position shift to striker for some of the other wardens. Sophomore Ryan Badaracco, who has a talent for ball-handling, can be seen managing the midfield, while Barkley Miller went on a scoring binge after his shift to forward, before going down with a hip flexor injury.

Despite the losses, qualified defensive mainstays in Geordie MacNeill and Stephen Reihner -- two of the few Lions to start every game this season -- are beginning to gel with the young players stepping up, including freshmen Andrew Parr and Michael Janov. Together, they have made Taylor's job easier.

"I would take not having shutouts all season if we were winning," Taylor said.

"But it's nice to play well enough to deserve it. The defenders earned (the shutouts), not me."

Gray disagrees.

"He's going straight to the record books. He's one of the greatest goalies ever here," Gray said smiling.

"It's mostly him [with the shutouts]."

Whoever deserves the credit, leading scorer Simon Omekanda is thankful for the help his defense is giving him, clearing more balls and creating more scoring opportunities for the offense.

"It gives us confidence in our defense that they can get the shutouts," Omekanda said. "Now, we know we can score. We know we can put teams away.

"It's great that a lot of people who don't play as much got to come in and play some more. We've known all year that we're a deep team, so that's credit to the kids who came in who don't play much who came in and showed us that they deserve to be on the field."