M. Lax takes on No. 1 Princeton

Quakers visit top-ranked Tigers It isn't too often that a Penn athletic team gets to test its muscle against the No. 1 team in the nation. And it's even more rare when that opponent happens to be the Quakers' archrival -- the Princeton Tigers. But the Penn men's lacrosse team has that opportunity today. When the Quakers take to the field in New Jersey this afternoon, Penn will be lining up against a team that has already sported impressive lopsided victories over perennial powerhouses Johns Hopkins, Virginia and North Carolina. Each of these squads is ranked among the top six teams in the country, Therefore, it is no surprise the Tigers are at the top of the national polls. Despite Princeton's accomplishments, the Quakers believe the Tigers (5-0, 1-0 Ivy League) are not invincible. "Obviously, it's our biggest game of the season," senior co-captain Steve Marks said. "We're ready. Everybody's hungry for this win." In order to turn this enthusiasm into a victory, Penn (3-2, 1-1) is going to have to come up with its best game of the season. The Quakers must play mistake-free lacrosse for 60 minutes. Penn will not be able to afford any of the dry spurts that have hindered it so far this season. The offense must be patient and keep the ball away from the potent Princeton attack. To do this, the Quakers will have to control the ball, along with the tempo. "We'd love to control possession and keep the score low," Penn coach G.W. Mix said. "The best way to stop them is to hold onto the ball. We have to shoot smart and shoot when the opportunity is right. If we do those two things on offense, our defense will stand a better chance." The game arrives at the perfect time for Penn, which is on a roll. After rallying to defeat Cornell in overtime last weekend, the group is excited to play. It knows how much a victory will do in terms of Penn's national respect and its No. 19 USILA ranking. The Quakers have been awaiting this battle ever since last season when Penn dropped a 6-5 struggle to the Tigers, who were ranked No. 2 at the time. "Sticking within one of them last year is definitely something that boosts our confidence, and we'll try to improve on that," senior co-captain Mike Tobin said. "Throughout the season we've shown the ability to play with anybody in the country." And at this point there isn't anybody better than Princeton. The Tigers' backbone is goalie Scott Bacigalupo. The senior, who anchored Princeton's drive to the national championship as a sophomore, has been named the nation's top goaltender each of the past two seasons. Bacigalupo is favored to capture this honor for the third consecutive year, and the Penn attack knows it must play at its highest level if it hopes to be successful. "He's as good as anyone who's ever played the position," Mix said. "They've built their defense around him." The Tigers also possess possibly the country's best attacker in senior Kevin Lowe, who also played a big role in the 1992 national championship. Lowe keys a potent attack that averages more than 15 goals a game. Two other all-Americans, Scott Reinhardt and Tim Higgins, provide good team speed for the Tigers. "They can score some goals and stop some very powerful teams from doing the same," Mix said. "They don't make many mistakes. They all understand their roles. That's what makes them so dangerous." "When they have the ball on offense, they'll just run you into the ground," Marks said. "They'll run three minutes off the clock, but they'll score almost every possession they have." The man who will bear biggest burden of keeping Penn in the game and the Tigers off the scoreboard is sophomore goalie Steve Bassford. Bassford played an outstanding game against Princeton last year, and must rise to the occasion again. The sophomore made several huge saves to allow the Quakers to knock off the Big Red Saturday. "He's the heart of our defense," Marks said. "If he has a good game, our whole team will have a good game. And he's ready." The right question may be whether or not Princeton will be ready. Although Tiger coach Bill Tierney has given his team heat about beating Penn by a single goal last year, Princeton may be overlooking its Ivy League opponents. After gunning down their first four opponents, the Tigers were sluggish in their Ivy opener against Yale Saturday. Princeton did not take its first lead until the third quarter and had to struggle while holding off the Elis, 11-8. The Elis' performance shows the Quakers an upset may not be that far of a reach. "If anything, they're looking past us," Tobin said. "Lowe's been quoted as saying that looking at the remainder of their schedule, they can finish undefeated. Everybody has confidence that at our best we can play with them." A couple of side factors that may have some bearing on the game are the weather and Princeton's grass field. With the possibility of rain for later today, Penn believes a sloppy, slower-paced game will be to its advantage. The muddy field would help to slow the Tiger attack and keep the scoring low. "We're not used to playing on it or practicing on it," Mix said of the turf. "I think we'll be so excited and anxious to play against Princeton it won't matter. We'd play them in a parking lot if we had to."