MEN'S LACROSEE SEASON PREVIEW: Van Arsdale era to begin for M. Lacrosse

The new era has begun. As the Penn men's lacrosse team hosts St. Joseph's on Franklin Field tomorrow at 2 p.m., they will try to erase the memories of the past few years and start again. After finishing the last two years without a win in the Ivy League and last season garnering an overall record of 4-10, the Quakers hope to finally make a stir in the league and gain some recognition. The man held responsible for initiating this resurgence is first-year coach Marc Van Arsdale, who replaced Terry Corcoran in July. Van Arsdale brings numerous experiences. A player and assistant coach at Hobart which included being a part of seven Division III championship teams, Van Arsdale spent the past six years as an assistant coach to Dom Starsia at Virginia, last year's NCAA runner-up. Liking what he sees so far, Van Arsdale will try to make Penn, which advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1988, a force in the Ivy League once more. "I think the strongest things that I can bring from the past is an attitude of expecting success and not tolerating things that won't get us there," Van Arsdale said. "I have been pleased with the way the guys have asserted themselves to the commitment level that it takes to be successful. I think that this team is further ahead than last year's." Van Arsdale has brought with him his style of fast-paced attacking. Although the Red and Blue are not as talented as the Cavaliers Van Arsdale coached last year, by using everyone's strengths the Quakers should make a large offensive improvement. "Coach Van is a real fired-up guy," said Penn senior attackman Jon Cusson, who scored 25 goals and registered 11 assists for 36 points a year ago. "He gives us a lot of freedom on the field. He is an attack-oriented coach and I am an attack-oriented player, so he is a great guy to have." Also expected to make an impact offensively are junior John Ward, the leading scorer in 1996 with 52 points, and returning midfielders Joe Mauro (20 points). Face-off specialist Al Patton also has a niche for Penn. A key to any Quakers revival will be their a improvement on defense. After giving up last year an eight-goal lead to Cornell and a six-goal lead to Dartmouth, defense will have to be much more concrete. "Those defensive breakdowns were killing us," said Penn senior midfielder Ed Hanover, one of four Quakers who has played under three coaches, G.W. Mix, Corcoran, and now Van Arsdale. "This year the defense has stepped up and assumed the leadership position for the team. Just to keep teams from scoring goals takes a load off the offense." With one of the toughest schedules in the nation, including nationally ranked Syracuse, Navy and the two teams in last year's NCAA finals, Princeton and Virginia, wins might again be a scarce commodity for Penn. The only team that Penn defeated last year that is again on the schedule is Lafayette, who allowed and NCAA season-high 25 goals in falling to the Quakers. Being a part of a conference that typically sends at least two or three teams to the NCAA tournament makes it that much harder to gain victories. The meeting with St. Joseph's will mark the first between the two schools. With the Hawks having only a 5-year-old program and 4-11 record last year, the Quakers should start the season on a positive note. Led by attackers Bill Oaks, Chris McIsaac and Drew Foley, the Hawks will try to outscore Penn in what looks to be a high-scoring contest. "They are a young team," Van Arsdale said. "We probably are more talented than them. If we go out and take care of our business the way we should, the we won't need to worry about what St. Joe's is doing." Both Cusson and Hanover are surprised by the Penn team's great enthusiasm. With a new atmosphere at Penn has come a new mentality to the lacrosse program. Although Van Arsdale cannot assure the success of his team, the Quakers are behind him 100 percent.

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