W. Lax set to battle elite foe

Glancing at this year's schedule, it is pretty clear that Penn women's lacrosse coach Karin Brower decided that this would be the year that the Quakers would begin their pursuit of the nation's elite.

While Penn's Ivy League schedule has the Quakers facing four top-20 ranked teams, Brower also added non-conference opponents No. 9 James Madison and No. 4 Loyola to the already vaunted slate of Ivy foes.

"I think it shows that [Coach Brower] has confidence that we can beat these kinds of teams," Penn junior goalie Alaina Harper said. "We can play at this level, and we should play at this level."

Playing at a top level will be the challenge today when Penn journeys to Baltimore to meet Loyola.

Since claiming their season opener, 10-9, against James Madison in quadruple overtime and following it up with a victory over against Lafayette, the Quakers have lost three consecutive games against Yale, Temple and Cornell.

Penn cannot afford another subpar effort today.

The Greyhounds are currently 4-1 this season, with their only loss coming against No. 2 Princeton, 10-6. They rebounded from the Princeton loss with a 12-7 win over James Madison.

Leading the Loyola attack is All-American and Tewaarton Trophy candidate for national lacrosse player of the year, Stacy Morlang.

Keeping Morlang in check will not be the Quakers' only daunting task, however.

"Specific people will match up with her throughout the game," Murray said. "But overall [Loyola] is too good to just concentrate on one player."

Chrissy Book will draw the unenviable task of shadowing Loyola's All-American during the game.

Morlang recently scored four goals in a win against No. 19 William and Mary. Last year, Morlang was eighth in the nation in goals and tenth in points.

But Penn will attempt to maintain its team approach despite Loyola's star presence.

"We always need to be concerned about top players, but team defense will be the key," Book said.

While Loyola will be one of the toughest foes during the entire season, after their three consecutive losses, the Quakers enter the game hoping to capitalize on similar factors that vaulted them to their upset over James Madison.

While Penn was able to jump out to an early lead in its win over the Dukes, the Quakers have struggled to start strong during their current slide.

In the most recent 9-8 loss to Cornell, the Quakers scored seven goals in the second half to tie Cornell before falling in the final minute.

Penn cannot afford a slow start against a well-rounded powerhouse like Loyola.

"We definitely can't get in the hole against them," Penn junior Kate Murray said. "One of the main things is getting draws and making sure we maintain possession."

Whatever the outcome, a loss will not come because of Penn's lacking of emotion.

"We are definitely excited," Murray said.

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