Quakers to take on No. 7 Syracuse

Orangemen offenseOrangemen offenseaverages almost 14Orangemen offenseaverages almost 14goals per contest Nearing the end of a dismal season filled with blown leads and failed comeback attempts, the Penn men's lacrosse team has yet another giant obstacle in its path. The Quakers (3-8, 0-5 Ivy) will face off against Syracuse tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Franklin Field. The Orangemen (7-3) are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation in the USILA poll. "We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain," Penn senior captain Andy Crofton said. "We're going to go out and have some fun and play hard." Penn lost a tight 13-11 contest to No. 8 Brown last Saturday to extend its Ivy League losing streak to 15 games. The Red and the Blue had cut a 12-6 fourth quarter lead to just a one-goal deficit with four minutes to play. But the Quakers fell short in the end. Syracuse, however, is coming off what is arguably an even tougher defeat. The Orangemen lost to unranked Rutgers (3-5) last Saturday for the first time since 1955. Syracuse had won 20 straight against the Scarlet Knights. The Orangemen took the lead with 40 seconds to play in regulation, but Rutgers tied the game at 8-8 with just four seconds remaining. Rutgers then won the game, 9-8, 83 seconds into overtime after a a flurry of five shots by Syracuse all missed the net. "Syracuse is obviously going to come down here all fired up because they lost a tough one last week," Penn coach Terry Corcoran said. "I think this certainly has the potential to be a really good game. We're playing a lot better. We've just been coming up a little short against these top-ranked teams." Penn's top priority will be to stop the potent Syracuse offense, which has averaged almost 14 goals per game this season. Three different Orangemen have already cracked the 20-goal mark this season.. "They've got a relatively new group of defensemen, but offensively they've got a lot of firepower," Corcoran said. "I think it's going to be important to come up with faceoffs and do a good job of clearing the ball. "Possession of the ball is going to be important. When we control the ball and make smart decisions and don't turn it over, we're able to come up with quite a few goals." The Quakers are hoping to end their difficult season on a positive note. Only nine juniors and seniors play on the team, so the program is still building for the future. "Every game we go out and play 100 percent, and every practice we do our best," Crofton said. "There's no reason why on any given day, in the last three games we play this season, we can't win one game. Or all of them."

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