W. Lax tries for first win tomorrow

The Penn women's lacrosse team hosts Cornell and Boston College this weekend in search of win No. 1. The Penn women's lacrosse team will make its third and fourth attempts to win its first game of the season this weekend at Franklin Field when the Quakers take on Cornell and Boston College. Penn (0-2, 0-1 Ivy League) lost its first two games of the season to Yale, 11-5, and Stanford, 8-7. In Monday's game against the Cardinal, the Quakers were tied until Stanford scored with just six seconds left in the game. "We played a solid game against Yale," co-captain Jen Leisman said. "But we broke down against Stanford. We did not put forth a solid effort for the entire game." The players insist that team's current coaching situation has not detracted from their focus. As of now, the Quakers have no permanent coach as head coach Anne Sage is on leave and assistant Alanna Wren is guiding the team on an interim basis until the situation is sorted out. "We've been working hard in practices and coach Wren has been great," Leisman said. "Because we've been so focused on practice the coaching situation has not been a distraction." Although the players expected to have the coaching situation worked out by last weekend, they have no choice but to go on with their season. The Quakers host a formidable Cornell (3-0, 1-0) squad tomorrow at 4 p.m., as the Big Red have won their first three games of the season after going 7-7 in 1998. Although the team sees this as a rebuilding year after losing All-Ivy attacker Cari Hills, the Big Red have still seen success in the early part of the season. The team opened the season with a win against Lafayette and then notched its first Ivy win with a victory over Columbia. Cornell's latest win came over Ohio State in a close 10-8 contest. So far, the key to Cornell's success has been the play of its starting defense, which features seniors Amy Chong, Kim Regan and Kristen Wolf. This experienced lineup has only given up an average of seven goals in the Big Red's three games. Jen Chong and Marissa Perman have led the attack with eight and six goals respectively. Last season, Cornell beat the Quakers 15-9. But the Red and Blue vow to be ready for the Big Red this year. "They took us by surprise last year," co-captain Brooke Jenkins said. "They're an up-and-coming team and we have to be ready for them." To prepare for the weekend and prevent a repeat of the mistakes against Stanford, the Red and Blue have focused on playing harder for the entire game during this week's practices. "We played well in spurts," Leisman said. "There were periods of time that we gave up and just let them play their game." The transition game has been another Achilles heel for the Quakers in the early part of the season. "Our defense has been playing well, as has our attack," Jenkins said. "It's just a question of getting the ball from one to the other. Against Stanford, we committed most of our turnovers in the middle of the field." Penn does not really know what to expect from Boston College when the teams meet Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles come in with 1-4, with losses to George Mason, Notre Dame, Brown and Harvard. The team's one win came in overtime against Connecticut. "We haven't played the Eagles in a while," Jenkins said. "But if we focus and motivate more, I know we can win." If the Quakers play focused for an entire game this weekend, they stand a good shot at winning and righting their ship. If they do not, however, it could take more than a stable coaching situation to boost their confidence and save the season.

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