Whatever he did, it worked.

Penn State men's soccer head coach Barry Gorman was fed up during last night's game against Bucknell. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Nittany Lions looked lethargic and uninspired, leading Gorman to take matters into his own hands.

"That first half was embarrassing on our part. No one was playing hard. There was no energy," senior defender David Gray said. "Some choice words from coach got us going at halftime. I can't say them."

Following Gorman's kick-in-the-pants, the Lions came out firing in the second half, outshooting the Bison 14-1 to claim a 3-1 victory at Jeffrey Field. The win gives Penn State (5-8-2, 2-2 Big Ten) a much-needed boost heading into Friday's contest with rival Indiana.

An awkward goal in the first half gave Bucknell (7-5-4, 2-2-1 Patriot League) a lead shortly before halftime. A loose ball sat in front of Penn State goalkeeper Conrad Taylor for what seemed like an eternity, and the Lions failed to clear it and a confused officiating crew awarded the Bison the goal.

It was the last straw for Gorman.

"For a coach, it wasn't a very tactical halftime," Gorman said smiling. "You can read into that all you want to."

Though Gorman replaced his usual Xs and Os with presumed bleeps and dashes, the Lions responded all the same. Hustle and determination underscored a revitalized Penn State in the second half. Gray and junior Geordie MacNeill recorded their first goals of the season, and forward Simon Omekanda wrapped the game up with his fourth.

"That was the whole difference in the second half," Gorman said. "People started to work. This game is about running."

To top it all off, all three goals came off of corner kicks, an area the Lions have struggled mightily with all season.

"It's just a big confidence boost," MacNeill said. "Now we're back on track."

Ironically, the offensive spark came from Gray and MacNeill, who were both playing unfamiliar positions, lining up on offense because of injuries to most of Penn State's usual scoring threats. Their headers past Bison goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach each set off a celebration on the field, highlighted by Gray running toward the Penn State sideline and flexing to the crowd.

"Anytime you score it feels great," Gray said. "I don't score very often. That may have been my first in practice or a game in a long time."

Gray made a rare start at forward, while Omekanda was conspicuously missing from the same slot. Gorman said that he simply wanted to take some extra time going over strategy with him and defender Stephen Reihner.

"We went over some tactical stuff this morning on a DVD of Sunday's game [against Wisconsin]," Gorman said. "We sat them on the bench and said 'this is what we need you to do.' "

Gorman said that he can't afford to lose any more players to injury, especially going into a slew of rivalry games. He got a scare when midfielder Jeff Chambers left in the first half, apparently reaggravating a nagging thigh injury. However, Chambers returned to collect an assist -- and a sigh of relief from Gorman -- on MacNeill's goal.

"To be honest with you, we played Sunday and now Tuesday, we gotta try to give some people some rest," Gorman said. "I don't care what level you're at, if you have good players out, and they're kids who can score goals, it leaves a big hole."