It’s no secret Penn State men’s soccer has had a slow start to the 2026-27 season, especially in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are 0-5 against conference opponents this season, good for last in the Big Ten.

Penn State travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday night to take on the Wolverines — a team with a 0-2-1 record in Big Ten play thus far — making the matchup a major opportunity for the Nittany Lions to capture their first conference victory in more than a calendar year.

Despite Penn State’s struggles so far, head coach Rob Dow is confident that the team can put together a winning effort on Friday.

After a few heartbreaking recent losses to tough opponents Indiana and Ohio State, Dow’s team is taking a holistic approach to success by staying dialed in on and off the pitch.

“We wanted to approach this week of training to make sure our training environment feels uncomfortable the entire time,” Dow said Wednesday. “We need to be All-American in the basic things. If we had followed the basic things against Ohio State, we would’ve won the game.”

In his first season with Penn State, Dow has certainly had to adjust to the talent level on display in the Big Ten. To him, the margin for error in the Nittany Lions’ game is razor-thin.

By basic things, Dow means not only marking your man and winning the second ball on the pitch, but also staying locked in on off-pitch essentials like nutrition and sleep.

“Eight hours of sleep, non-negotiable,” Dow said. “I can’t be there in those moments and that’s where I need leadership to step up. They need to be All-Americans in their space.”

While the off-pitch essentials are crucial for success, Dow’s team also hopes to improve tactically.

Possession is necessary for Penn State to hold onto late leads, which the Nittany Lions have struggled to do lately.

According to Dow, becoming comfortable without the ball will allow the team to create more offensive opportunities as the game goes on.

“The game is a mirror, right? So what you’re doing in defense means that there’s opportunities we can have immediately at the point where the ball turns over,” Dow said.

Having more opportunities when the ball turns over will be crucial to the outcome of Penn State’s clash against Michigan, as counter-attacking chances provide opportunity for two- or even three-goal leads, something the blue and white have been unable to manufacture at all in Big Ten play so far this season.

By doing all of the “little things” a bit better, the Nittany Lions should be able to fuel themselves to success against the Wolverines on Friday and beyond.