At halftime of the Penn State men's lacrosse scrimmage on Saturday, the zero on the visitor's side on the scoreboard probably did not come as a surprise to the Nittany Lions' defense.

Penn State held Lehigh scoreless in the first half of the season's opening scrimmage, showing signs of the strong play that is expected out of the three returning defenders this season.

All three close defenders from last year's squad return to lead the No. 17 Nittany Lions with valuable veteran experience. Although he admitted the defense wasn't tested too much, head coach Glenn Thiel is counting on senior captains Matt Mulqueen and Dan Saltsman and sophomore John Stuckey to be large parts of the team's success this season.

"We're gonna rely on our defense early because they're the veteran team," Thiel said. "We have some better depth there, too. We have some young kids that will play a role."

In addition to bringing experience, the trio also boasts accolades from successful 2006 seasons. Saltsman, who usually matches up one-on-one with the opposition's best attacker, started every game for the Lions last year and was named to the ECAC All-League first team. He was also named to the 2007 preseason All-America honorable mention list by Inside Lacrosse.

Appearing in every game last year, Mulqueen, who often defends the goal crease, was third on the team with 38 ground balls.

Stuckey, a talented position defender, also emerged as a force on the defense, starting all 13 games as a freshman.

In addition to the three starters, senior Devin Kennedy will also be contributing off the bench for the Lions. He also brings experience, seeing the field every year and appearing in eight games last season.

Since the back line knows its defensive roles well, the coaches spent more time in offseason practices working with the offense, which is trying to replace a few top scorers. Saltsman said the defense didn't receive much coaching until assistant coach Kevin Conry joined the staff in December. Even though the defense was not the focus of the fall workouts, the back managed a strong showing in the first scrimmage, surrendering only three goals and none in the first half.

The returning defense "gave the coaches a lot more flexibility to work with the younger offense," Saltsman said. "We saw results with [midfielder Chris] Hogan putting up three goals in the scrimmage. When came time for [the defense] to learn, we picked it up really quickly."

The experience of the back three close defenders coupled with the 2006 All-ECAC goalie of the year, sophomore Drew Adams, will solidify the back into a solid unit. Also including the two defensive specialists in the midfield, junior Andrew Mackrides and sophomore Matt Warner, the entire defensive unit will be returning. This experience will not only help the defense, but also give confidence to the young offense.

"That whole unit is intact," Thiel said. "It will help us certainly at the offensive end because we can mix it with good defense. As long as [the defense] does their job, I think the offense will come along."