M. Lax will catch Brown at right time

Time is beginning to become the enemy of the Penn men's lacrosse team. With only an eight-week, 14-game season, it is imperative for the Quakers to make the most of every opportunity. At noon tomorrow, Penn will take its fifth stab at recording its first Ivy League win in two years when it takes on Brown at Franklin Field. If there is ever a good time time for the Quakers (3-6, 1-1 Ivy League) to run into the No. 9 team in the nation, it is now. After a quick start, the Bears (4-4, 1-1) have dropped three straight games, perhaps wounding the confidence of the team that many expected to see in the Final Four. Still, Penn will have to be at its best tomorrow if it is to snap its 14-game league losing streak. "They're a very talented team -- a veteran team," Penn coach Terry Corcoran said. "They have a lot of depth. They'll play 11 or 12 middies and rotate five or six attackmen, maybe some through midfield." That means that Penn's defense will have its hands full once again. In the past two games, the Quakers have allowed a total of 40 goals, 19 to Princeton and 21 to Dartmouth. Keeping Brown's attackers -- led by 1995 Ivy League Player of the Year and first-team All-America David Evans -- out of sync will be a must. The task may be complicated by a lack of depth in Penn's defensive ranks. The Quakers are also planning to play, in Corcoran's phrase, "multiple defenses", meaning that they will mix in zone formations with the usual man-to-man alignment. Brown has been susceptible to such a strategy, particularly against Princeton, which held the Bears to just five goals. "We've been working hard on our defenses," Penn freshman goalie Matt Schroeder said. "[The zone] should help us play cutters better." The clock is ticking.