W. Lax opens with toughest opponent

Instead of easing into the season this year, the Penn women's lacrosse team starts off with its toughest opponent of the year -- Loyola. The match will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Franklin Field. The Quakers are entering this season with a new look, shuffling old players into new positions and starting some freshmen. The team is once again led by a familiar face at the helm. Anne Sage is in her 26th season as coach of Penn. Penn, however, has a new look at assistant coach with Patricia Kennedy taking over for Christina Vitale. The captains of this year's squad are a trifecta comprised of experienced seniors, Jill Brown, Curran Kelly and Amy Tarr. Last year, all three of the captains were starters for the team and played as a defender, midfielder and a defender/attacker, respectively. This year, however, they will be playing new positions in order to maximize their talents. "One of the strongest aspects of this team is their versatility," Penn assistant coach Christina Vitale said. "All of the players are focused on the team concept and are willing to contribute wherever needed." Last year, Penn had a breakthrough season as it tied for third in the Ivies and beat Harvard for the first time in league play. Penn is hoping to build on last year's momentum as they engage a tough opponent tonight. The game against Loyola will provide Penn with the opportunity to see how they compare to the rest of the country. The Greyhounds (1-0) were ranked third in the country in the preseason poll and have lived up to the hype. Last Saturday, Loyola opened their season by pounding the No. 4 team in the nation, Penn State, 16-8. Loyola currently sports five All-Americans and a team filled with a multitude of experience. The Greyhounds are focused on making a strong run at the national title this year because a large portion of their team will be graduating after the season. Loyola's strategy for the game against the Lady Lions was to jump out to a quick lead and then hold the ball for the rest of regulation. The Greyhounds utilized this game plan effectively and probably will attempt to employ the same strategy against the Quakers. Penn will have to rely on the experience of its seniors to slow the pace of the game. While the Quakers are focused on winning the game, they are more concerned with starting the season off with a solid performance. Penn will use this game to prepare for its Ivy League schedule which begins this weekend against Cornell.