About 10 minutes before practice, Penn State men's lacrosse players trickle out of the film room and onto Bigler Field.

They begin to warm up by passing the ball around and taking shots.

Suddenly, the sound of players talking and joking is interrupted by a booming voice carrying across the field.

"Move," coach Glenn Thiel yells. "You're not doing yourself any good if you're just standing around."

While Thiel needs to remind the players to remain active on the practice field, the team has not had trouble playing with high intensity during games -- something that was on display during Friday's win at Fairfield.

Senior co-captain Tommy Zichelli said that game did more than just push the Lions past .500, it showed them what kind of team they are and provided a gameplan for the remainder of the season.

"We've tried to get [intensity] implemented all year but it just seemed like we hadn't had that game where we came together as a team, a breakout game," Zichelli said. "We think we found the style of game we have to play to win."

That style combines an in-your-face defense with players scrapping and hustling for every groundball.

Because Penn State's offense has been hobbled with injuries this season, inexperienced players have been forced into more prominent roles. This led to a learning curve at the beginning of the season.

But now that the younger players are becoming comfortable with their increased responsibilities, the team has begun to gel. Zichelli said it took a couple games to find what defensive units worked well together.

Now that the defense is more comfortable, it is carrying the Lions on their current three-game winning streak. Penn State is tied for 11th nationally in scoring defense (7.14 goals per game).

Junior goalie Drew Adams said having a vocal sideline and animated teammates helps the Lions stay poised and concentrated on the field.

"It's a huge thing for us to have everyone into it, everyone excited," Adams said. "When everyone's enthusiastic, everyone plays better. After we score a goal, if everyone on the bench and everyone on the field's ecstatic, then everyone plays with more confidence and more heart and we're playing better."

While the players attributed the team's recent success to newfound team unity, Thiel said it's just been a matter of playing with more aggression.

During the early parts of the season, Thiel said some of his players were passive and too worried about making mistakes. Instead of pursuing their dropped balls, his attackers would dwell on the lost possession.

But now, Thiel said, the Lions are playing with a fire and are attacking groundballs with authority. And that, he said, is the main reason for the team's recent success.

"We're putting the emphasis on the fundamentals," Thiel said. "Getting the ball off the ground, that's where you make plays. You gotta almost like the ball to be on the ground. We've got some offensive guys that drop their heads when they drop the ball.

"But you gotta say that's an opportunity to get it off the ground when the defense is stretched out. You make a play and it's a goal."