The Quakers won't have to wait long to get a shot at impressing the NCAA tournament committee. They can do that tomorrow in their season opener at home against Drexel.
While the ACC and Ivy League -- conferences traditionally strong in lacrosse - comprise the majority of the top-10 national rankings, other schools not known for their athletic programs fill the spots from 10 to 20.
Coming in at No. 18 is Colonial Athletic Association member and 33rd Street rival, Drexel.
The Dragons (0-1) gave No. 3 Virginia all it could handle in their own season opener last weekend, but fell 11-7 to the Cavaliers.
"Their game [Sunday] was pretty impressive," said Penn coach Brian Voelker. "It got away from them a little bit in the fourth quarter, but that can easily happen against a team like Virginia."
According to Voelker, the Dragons' strengths are their potent offense - Drexel had 151 goals in 2007 to the Quakers' 113 - and their ability to win faceoffs (57.7 percent in 2007).
"We're expecting a total dogfight," Voelker said.
Tomorrow's competition will be the first meeting between the two programs since the 1994 season.
Since then, the Quakers have made only two NCAA appearances, but both have come in the last four years. The Dragons have never been to the Tournament, but they're coming off arguably their best season in school history. They beat then-No. 1 Virginia, but still fell short of a tournament spot.
"They're kind of everybody's Cinderella going into the season. Everybody's kind of loving them," said co-captain Max Mauro. "I've gotta say, Drexel is a really good team."
Mauro, a senior, added that opening up at home is "amazing," and since practice began on Feb. 1, the team has been itching to play when it counts.
"If your adrenaline's not pumping for that, you shouldn't be out here," he added.
Drexel is the first of four non-conference opponents the Quakers will face before meeting Yale on March 15, but Voelker says there's no looking ahead in his locker room.
"We're super excited for Saturday," said Voelker. He plans to tell his squad before the game: "We've got the Dragons coming to our house. We've got to take care of business."
On Mauro's last season-opener of his career, it's not as much about the pregame speech, as much as it's about the play.
"I say some things that are kind of insane sometimes, but anything to get the guys going," said Mauro.
An upset win over Drexel could get the Quakers going for the rest of the season.
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