M. Lax to battle rebuilt Big Red

Cornell emerged as aCornell emerged as anational power lastCornell emerged as anational power lastyear after 1-win 1994 Currently suffering through a two-year, 11-game Ivy League losing streak, the Penn men's lacrosse team was in need of a confidence booster. After losing a heartbreaking Ivy League opener to Harvard last weekend, the Quakers' 25-8 demolition of Lafayette was just what they needed. But the team's task will be considerably harder when Penn (3-4, 0-1 Ivy) takes on Cornell (1-4, 0-1) tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. at Franklin Field. The Big Red, whose program hit rock bottom two years ago when it only won one game, reemerged as a national force last season, when it finished 10th in the nation. Cornell hovered on the fringes of the national rankings until falling to Yale in triple-overtime last Saturday and losing to a solid Delaware squad midweek. The Quakers are not likely to repeat Saturday's scoring heroics against Cornell. "They've got a veteran defense and one of the best goalies in the country," Penn coach Terry Corcoran said. Cornell goalie Mike LaRocco and the Big Red defenders will have a difficult task before them if the Quakers' attackmen find a rhythm like they did against Lafayette. Penn combined patient ball movement, quick cuts to the goal and precision passing in the offensive explosion. The biggest obstacle in Penn's path tomorrow will be the size and skill of the Big Red attackmen. Cornell's six-foot-six, 230-pound attackman John Sullivan is sure to make his presence felt in the crease, and his experienced teammates work well together. "Cornell moves real well off the ball -- we're going to have to match up," Corcoran said. Although Penn's 3-4 record projects to exactly match last year's 6-8 mark, the team's defense has taken a giant leap forward from last year. In 1995, Penn gave up over 14 goals per game, by far the most in the Ivy League. So far in 1996, that statistic has dropped to 10.1 goals against per outing. This sudden turnaround has come despite a total lack of collegiate experience in the net. Penn has played three true freshmen in goal throughout the year. Those three have stepped into the spot vacated by Travis Heinrichs, a junior who left the team for what he calls "personal reasons" unrelated to the lacrosse program. Heinrichs started all 14 contests for the Quakers last year. The bulk of the playing time so far has gone to Matt Schroeder, and he has lived up to expectations. The Commack, N.Y., native has displayed a penchant for making point-blank saves, while starting five of the seven games this season. As of last week, he stood 12th in the nation in save percentage at .654. The rest of playing time has been shared by Keith Menig and Shane Lavery, with the latter making the two starts Schroeder missed. Although the competition for playing time could have lead to strained relations, the three have managed to remain friends off the field. "We're all friends, we hang out together," Menig said. "We're all pledging the same fraternity." The play of the three young players has also impressed an interested observer. "I think they are excellent,"ex-goalie Heinrichs said. "Penn's lucky to have them." Although it has not been officially decided, Schroeder will likely get the nod in goal tomorrow.