M. Lax seeks rare 3-1 mark

The Quakers have not won three consecutive Ivy games in the 1990s, but have a chance to do so at Brown. A few weeks ago, tomorrow's men's lacrosse matchup between Penn and Brown had the appearance of a David versus Goliath showdown, but after two Ivy League wins by the Quakers and two loses by the Bears, the game has become key in the Ivy League title chase. Penn (5-3, 2-1 Ivy League) arrives at Providence, R.I., feeling confident this will not be the Bears' opportunity to heal their wounds. Third in the league, a win for the Quakers will not only count for pride but will keep them in the hunt for a top-two finish. "This is game where if we take this game, we are setting ourselves up for a shot at the Ivy title," Penn midfielder Pete McGill said. "We feel we can win every game we go into." The Bears are looking for consistency that has eluded them so far. True to their mascot, they have alternated between hibernation and ferocious dominance as the winter has intermixed with spring. Early in the season, Brown beat Syracuse, ranked No. 2 nationally at the time, 20-12, and also turned away No. 4 Duke. The strong non-conference wins, however, don't count in league standings where Brown finds itself at the bottom after a loss to Princeton on Saturday and a 7-6 defeat Wednesday night by Harvard. Quakers coach Marc Van Arsdale recognizes, however, that a win for his squad would still be an upset, even if it no longer would be one of biblical proportions. "They are clearly one of the more talented teams in the league," Van Arsdale said. "I know they are disappointed after the Harvard game. They will have a certain fire in them to get a chance to get on the Ivy win side. I think it is important for us to dictate the pace of the game. We are looking to have a controlled running style." A third loss by the Bears would suit the Quakers just fine. No Penn team this decade has won three straight Ivy games, and the last time Penn beat Brown was in 1988, the year the Quakers reached the Final Four. Before laying the supernatural number fetish to rest, it should be also pointed out that three is the number of Quakers senior co-captain Jon Cusson, whose ball distribution talents will be key in their possession offense, and that freshman Pete Janney will be shooting for Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for the third straight week. If the Quakers have their way, it'll be a mix of speed and patience on offense tomorrow. In last week's game against Dartmouth, the Quakers ran out to a 10-4 halftime lead by capitalizing on an up and down style of play. On the flip side, Van Arsdale also said he hopes to watch his guys use control in their passing when transition opportunities don't present themselves. "On offense, the ball has been moving around freely, and we've dealt with what's been thrown at us the last couple of games," Penn co-captain John Ward said. "If we get fast breaks we are definitely going to take the breaks, but we do want to control the ball because we match up pretty good with them offensively. "We still haven't beaten a nationally ranked opponent, but we feel real confident that we can play with these guys." For fans looking to pick apart every intricacy of the game, it should be noted that Brown not only has home field advantage but it also has a field -- as in natural grass. Yes, Brown's Stevenson Field, unlike Penn's Franklin Field, sports the genuine live grass that is popular among people looking for fields to frolic in. In lacrosse, however, frolicking doesn't count for much and neither will the shift from turf to grass. The Quakers have practiced on grass all week, and as Van Arsdale pointed out, all of his players spent their whole careers on grass before coming to Penn. "It a little different on your legs with the grass," Ward said. "It's a little softer and you've got to get used to your spikes digging in, but we've been on grass all week." The long bus ride home tomorrow night will be a lot more enjoyable for the Quakers if they are in possession of a 3-1 league record and a solid hold on third place in the league. A loss won't diminish Penn's accomplishments for the season, but before they can be counted among the elite teams, Penn will have to prove it can beat higher caliber teams than they have done thus far.

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