W. Lax takes on da Bears

Penn's women's lacrosse team returns home after a three-game road trip in search of a victory. The Penn Relays are a tough act to follow. But the Penn women's lacrosse team will give its best shot at doing so on the turf of Franklin Field this Sunday as it heads into its final game of the '98 season at 1 p.m. against Brown. The Quakers -- 4-8, 2-4 Ivy League -- enter their finale on a four-game skid, including two big losses in a row in League play. In a contrast to a 2-0 Quakers' start to the year that saw them outscore their opponents 2-1, over their last four games Quaker opponents have outscored them at over a 3-1 rate. "It's been a roller-coaster season," Penn coach Anne Sage said after the team's 19-4 loss to No. 5 Princeton Wednesday. "We've been struggling lately, but we have played two number one teams [in the Ivy League] back to back. You just hope that your players get on the same page and regroup," Sage said. "Now we're looking for a very competitive finale, I want to end up on a good note." Recent results not withstanding, the team remains upbeat and ready to play. The Quakers still stand at 4-2 at Franklin Field, versus 0-6 on the road. This bodes well for the team, as it returns home to play an unranked Ivy opponent for its important end of the year contest. "I think that we're all optimistic [at facing Brown] after coming off of some big losses, and are ready to finish the season on a good note," junior defenseman Jen Leisman said. "We definitely feel that Brown is within our reach. It's a case of us being able to execute the fundamentals the way we are able to and not falling apart once we get into the game." Brown -- 4-7, 1-3 -- is coming off of a 9-5 loss to Yale Wednesday. The Bears have played their opponents tough all season, with four losses coming by one goal. Brown is led by senior midfielder Phoebe Koch who has 21 points in her last five games and sophomore defenseman Danielle Saint Louis who was named Ivy defensive player of the week earlier this season. Sunday will be the final game in the four-year careers of Penn senior co-captains Darah Ross and Emmy Hansel. While tallying over half of the Quakers goals this season, Ross (31 goals) and Hansel (23), each has moved into the top 12 on the Quakers' all-time goal-scorers list. More importantly than this offensive output, the pair has also played a major leadership role as the only seniors on a team dominated by first year players. "I'd like to end on a good note and leave Emmy and Darah with something to remember," Leisman said. "Hopefully we'll be able to take [Brown] on and show our stuff, especially for our seniors in their last game." In last season's meeting, the Quakers, despite seven second half goals -- two by Hansel -- lost to the Bears in a close match, 13-10. This year, with both teams in the middle of the Ivy pack, another close game can be expected. The Quakers are hoping to turn around their recent woes and end their up-and-down season on a high note with a strong showing in league play to build on for '99. "I would hope we finish up as competitors, individually and collectively as a team," Sage said. "We're hungry for a win."

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