W. Lax tries to do it again

This was the situation last year for the Penn women's lacrosse team: after three consecutive wins over West Chester, Yale and Lehigh, the Quakers dropped a game to Dartmouth. Next on the schedule for Penn was Princeton, which at that time was undefeated in the Ivy League and ranked second in the country. The Quakers managed to recover from the loss to the Big Green and upset the Tigers, 7-6, giving Princeton its only Ivy loss of the year. Now consider this year's scenario: after three straight victories over Yale, Lehigh and West Chester, Penn lost Saturday at Dartmouth. The next game for the Quakers (6-4, 2-2 Ivy League) is today at Princeton. Will history repeat itself? It might, but if it is to happen, Penn, ranked 14th in the country, will have to defeat a terrific Tiger team. Princeton is a perfect 7-0, 3-0 in Ivy play. And this year, the Tigers are ranked third in the nation. "They're an incredible team," sophomore defender Sue Quinn said. "They're a very skilled team." To beat Princeton, the Quakers will have to be at their best. Penn will have to control the tempo of the game and capitalize on every chance they get. "They're a very strong, quick, fast team," Sage said. "We have to try to slow the game down and control the game. We have to take advantage of every opportunity we get and play our best game to beat them. And I think we can do that." Princeton will have plenty of extra incentive to beat the Quakers. In addition to the ever-present Penn-Princeton rivalry, the Tigers will be looking for revenge after a series of losses to Penn. "Since I've been here, we beat them in field hockey and lacrosse last year, and we beat them in hockey this year," Quinn said. "So we're on a streak against them." If the Quaker streak is to continue, Penn may have to overcome more than Princeton. It may also have to conquer the field conditions. In the Dartmouth loss Saturday, a muddy field prevented the Quakers from setting up their offense and scoring. Today's weather forecast for Princeton calls for rain, which could turn the field into another mess. "We'll just have to rise above that because we know we can play in those conditions," Quinn said. However, Sage thinks the Quakers may gain an advantage from the rain. The muddy conditions could play into Penn's hands by slowing the game down. So the stage is set for another Penn-Princeton showdown. According to Quinn, the game should be memorable. "They'll be out to get us," Quinn said. "They'll be very aggressive. It'll be a very intense game."