Quakers trying for seventh straight

It wasn't supposed to be like this for the Penn men's lacrosse team.

Six games into the season, the Quakers unexpectedly stand as one of only three teams in the nation with an unblemished record.

And having already tripled their win total from last season, the Quakers (6-0, 1-0 Ivy) are heading into tomorrow's game against Harvard (2-2, 0-0) with a huge boost of confidence.

"With our guys, it's different this year," Penn coach Brian Voelker said. "We have found ways to keep winning games, and we're playing really charged and energetic."

The coach might be understating what has been an amazing run for the Quakers so far. Penn is off to its best start since 1977 -- a fact that Voelker cannot even attempt to fathom at this time.

An alumnus "called to tell me that news," Voelker said. "Right now, you'll only hear me saying that we're focusing on Harvard, one game at a time."

So what's the reason for Penn's emphatic turnaround?

The Quakers lit up the scoreboard in their earlier victories, scoring over 10 goals in four of their first five games.

Led by seniors D.J. Andrzejewski and James Riordan, Penn recorded the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation heading into Tuesday's game against Bucknell, averaging 12.8 goals.

"We have been finding ways to score, which is a lot different from last year," Voelker said. "I think it has a lot to do with our core of talented seniors."

These seniors made up a bulk of the starting rotation last year, when the Quakers suffered nine consecutive losses in one of the worst seasons in Penn lacrosse history.

But Voelker would argue that those same players learned from last year's hardships and got better from it.

"When we had our first practice in the fall, we realized that our stickwork was far better, much better than [at] any point during last season," Voelker said. "Our players really turned it around and worked hard during the offseason."

Because of their record, the Quakers were given a No. 14 ranking in the nation by Web site Insidelacrosse.com earlier this week.

Then the Quakers defeated surging Bucknell, a team that had previously upset No. 1 Maryland.

"That Bucknell win was huge for us," Voelker said. "It was a good win against a good team, and it also showed we could win in different ways, by playing good defense and holding onto the lead."

The Crimson will enter Franklin Field tomorrow without a double-digit scorer, but they have only played four games this season.

Junior Greg Cohen leads Harvard with nine goals. The attacker missed the entire season last year recovering from a preseason injury.

While Harvard appears to pose less of a threat on paper than the Quakers' other opponents, Voelker is not taking this weekend's matchup lightly.

"We are going to concentrate on one game at a time and see how long this streak can hold out," Voelker said. "Hopefully we can give our fans the same success we've been having on the road."

With games against Ivy powerhouses Cornell and Princeton looming on the horizon, the Quakers are attempting to make a statement whenever they can.

So far, through six games, they have done just that.

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