The date still remains fresh in his mind, so fresh that he doesn't have to pause and think about it, even more than a year later.

On Dec. 1, 2005, Max VanArsdale, just coming off a promising freshman season as an attacker for the Penn State men's lacrosse team, decided to have reconstructive surgery to repair a nagging ankle injury. Now 15 months later, the redshirt sophomore has returned to the field for the Nittany Lions to pick up where his young Penn State career left off.

"It really made me appreciate being out here and playing," VanArsdale said. "Sometimes you come out to practice and you're not really in the mood. You're a little tired, maybe, but you think back to [the injury], and it really gets you going a little bit more."

For a player who appeared in 15 games and started two as a freshman in 2005, the injury couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. VanArsdale contributed seven goals and seven assists, ranking seventh on the team in points. However, he watched all of the last season from the bench with a medical redshirt.

VanArsdale had sprained his ankle so many times throughout his athletic career that the ligaments had actually stretched, prompting the need for a Bostrum repair, which literally cuts the ligaments and reconnects them to the bone. The surgery kicked off several months of rehabilitation and patience after he was in a cast and on crutches for six weeks. Then he began range-of-motion exercises followed by strengthening exercises for several weeks after that. It wasn't until three to four months later that he was allowed to run again.

After scoring in the opening game against Denver last Saturday, it appears that he is returning to his old form. However, VanArsdale still might not be 100 percent.

"It's early yet," said Guy VanArsdale, who is his father and a three-year Penn State assistant coach. "He's knocking off rust. You sometimes forget he's only got one season under the belt, and so we expect a lot of him. He's just one more piece of the whole puzzle that hopefully will be successful."

In an offense that is under pressure to replace Penn State's fourth all-time leading scorer Nate Whitaker this year, VanArsdale is considered an important part of that offensive puzzle.

"People forget about Max a little bit because he was just a fourth guy two years ago," head coach Glenn Thiel said before this season. "He's come a long way since his ankle operation last year."

Even if it is too early to tell VanArsdale's physical improvement from his first season, watching from the sidelines has helped him improve his mental game. VanArsdale said he can see the field a lot better, and he plays a lot smarter. Sitting out for a year not only taught him to appreciate his chances on the field, but also to work hard when he gets that chance.

Whether it's recovering from an injury or playing Denver last Saturday, his teammates have noticed VanArsdale's work ethic and drive.

"He's improved a lot," senior midfielder Pat Heim said. "He's been working hard in practice. His ankle hurts him every day, but he still plugs away. He still runs hard. He drew a lot of penalties for us last game [on Saturday]. He went to the goal very hard, and we need him for extra man offense. He's the kind of kid who's tough. He grinds it out. Right now we just need him to bring a positive attitude every day, and just bring that work ethic to want to get better."