W. Lax looks to start Ivy climb at Cornell

The Quakers will try to reach 3-1 by beating the explosive Big Red. When the Penn women's lacrosse team travels north to Ithaca to face No. 16 Cornell tomorrow at 1 p.m., it will be bringing one thing along that has been missing for some time -- the confidence that the Quakers can win an Ivy League game. The Quakers (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) struggled to a 1-6 mark in League play a year ago, and going into its Ivy opener this spring at No. 10 Yale, they were unsure of how they would hold up. But a close 9-8 loss to the Elis, followed by a 14-7 Quakers victory over Villanova on Tuesday, has the team confident it can play with anyone. "I think because the team did play Yale tight, that they definitely feel that they can win the game," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "This is a huge game for us, and they're getting to understand that. I think they are getting really excited to play Cornell and to hopefully beat them." To have success tomorrow, though, Penn will need to turn in a strong defensive performance. Cornell (4-0, 0-0 Ivy) brings a high-powered offense into this meeting -- the same offense that raced out to a 7-0 lead on the Quakers last spring and a 9-0 advantage two seasons ago. And though Penn has played well in the second half all season, they once again fell behind early at Yale, 3-0, and Villanova, 3-2, in the past week. "I think we still are getting out kind of slow, but we are definitely picking it up a lot faster than we were last year," Penn goalie Christian Stover said. "Hopefully for Cornell, we can go out there and get an early lead." A young team, the Big Red are led by a quartet of sophomores. Attackers Ginny Miles and Lori Wohschlegel, midfielder Jaimee Reynolds and goalie Carrie Giancola are the heart and soul of a Cornell team that has surprised many by racing out to four straight wins. Miles, who holds the Philadelphia area high school record for career goals with 281, is the Big Red's most potent weapon. A first team All-Ivy selection as a freshman after tallying 38 goals, Miles is off to another torrid start with 13 goals in four games. Penn will likely match the Cornell star up with junior Amy Weinstein, who was honored by the league this week for her performance at Yale. "Amy Weinstein, I think, is going to play on Ginny Miles," Brower said. "She did a nice job against [Yale first team All-Ivy selection] Heather Bentley. I think if Amy is physical on Miles, that she'll do fine against her. We've seen Ginny play, and she's a good player, but I think Amy can do a nice job on her." Weinstein, who spent her first two seasons with Penn lacrosse as an attacker before moving to defense this spring, is excelling in this transition. "I'm really enjoying myself and learning a lot," Weinstein said. "I hope that I get matched up on the top players from now on." The junior, however, was quick to credit the team aspect of the defense. "Whenever anyone scores or anything happens, everyone basically marks up on everyone," she added. "A lot of times the best defensive plays aren't one person doing something, it's the team recognizing that someone's in, and everyone crossing in on them." To this end, the Quakers know they must win the battle of ground balls and double-team well on the Cornell attackers if they are to win. The Big Red are coming off a 14-3 win over California in which Miles netted four goals and Wohschlegel added three of her own. On the other side of the ball, Penn has an attacker who has been blowing up in the early season. Sophomore Traci Marabella leads the Quakers with 10 goals, and combined with senior Brooke Jenkins and freshman Crissy Book, Penn has a potent offense of its own. But in order to find the back of the net, Penn's front-liners will have to beat Cornell's Giancola. The sophomore has excelled this spring, with a save percentage of .632. Quakers goalie Christian Stover also comes into tomorrow's game on a hot streak. The junior did not allow a goal for a 25-minute stretch in Tuesday's 14-7 Penn win at Villanova. Stover, however, is quick to credit her entire defense -- including Weinstein, Lee Ann Sechovicz, Christy Bennett and several other members of Penn's back line -- for the team's strong defensive play. "The defense is very aggressive, and I love that," Stover said. Tomorrow's match is the Quakers' fourth consecutive road game, and playing a league opponent on their home turf is never an easy task. But Penn feels good nonetheless. "What we really need to do is come out right from the start and be as intense as we have been in our second halves," Weinstein said. "And I think we've got a good shot at beating Cornell and really working our way up the Ivy ladder."

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