M. Lacrosse to make a run for .500 vs. lowly Yale

The Quakers feel they can benefit from a fast-paced game, since the Elis don't have the depth to keep up. After being evicted from their home for the past week due to the Penn Relays, the Quakers men's lacrosse team will return to Franklin Field on Sunday to face Yale. A win for the Quakers (5-5, 2-2 Ivy League), who have spent the week outside on the grass fields, would guarantee them a .500 winning percentage in the Ivy League and in their overall record for the season. The Elis (3-8 , 1-4) are hopeful the carnival atmosphere doesn't continue into Sunday, because they will have a difficult time matching the Quakers' top offensive unit in an up-tempo game. If the contest starts to look like Michael Johnson should be competing, then Yale will watch its disappointing season continue and will strengthen its claim to the Ivy League cellar. "We can get into [a fast-paced game], but we don't have the depth," Yale coach Mike Waldvogel said. "Penn can do that. We are going to try and control the ball, because we just don't have the firepower. Their front guys are multi-talented." Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale would disagree with Waldvogel's assessment of the Elis' offense. Van Arsdale is watching out for Yale's senior offensive leader, Shawn O'Rourke, and a couple of midfielders who might come up into the Elis attacks. If he needs to, Van Arsdale said he will move an extra long-stick defensemen onto the turf to control the defensive side of play. Penn shouldn't need much help on the offensive end despite facing sophomore goalie Jamie Pilch, last year's Ivy Rookie of the Year. Paced by Ivy overall scoring leader and senior co-captain Jon Cusson, Penn's starting three attackmen are all among the top five in overall league scoring. "If you take good shots, they are going to go in," Cusson said. "I don't know that there has been a goalie that has made that much of a difference. If we execute they can't stop it." With only next Wednesday's game with Princeton left to follow Yale, the seniors are beginning to reflect on the close of their careers. Van Arsdale is pleased with the effort he has received all year from his handful of seniors, expects that their level of play will only increase now that the end is in sight. "I've been playing for so long, sometimes I wish I had another year," Cusson said. "I feel I could be so much better. It is a little hard to deal with." On the opposite side of the age spectrum, freshman Pete Janney still has two games left to make his bid for Ivy Rookie of the Year. Already named Rookie of the Week twice this season, Janney is in close competition with a small number of others, most notably Cornell goalie Rich Yost. "The best way for him to win the award is for us to play well," Van Arsdale said. "We won't go out of our way to get him extra looks. Efforts like that are superficial." While it will take more than a superficial effort to beat Yale, this is a game which Penn should have in control from the outset. Yale is coming off a win at Delaware on Wednesday, but Waldvogel admits that with the academic pressure of ensuing finals, his guys haven't been sleeping much and are tired from mid-week games. "This weekend we are the more talented team, but that doesn't guarantee a victory," Quakers attackman John Ward said. Ward's cliche is right, but in all likelihood Penn will get to do its own relay victory lap by the end of Sunday afternoon.

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