M. Lax faces Brown in final Ivy contest

Penn will put the wraps on a disappointing year in the ivy League. After a heartbreaking, double overtime loss to Villanova, the Penn men's lacrosse team (5-6, 1-4 Ivy League) will try to right the ship tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Brown (4-5, 1-2) in its final appearance at Franklin Field this season. The Bears are also coming off a tough loss, a 10-7 defeat against Harvard, and Brown will be hungry for a win. "I think their team, much like us, feels a little bit wounded off that loss last night, and we're both looking to get a good win come Saturday," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. The question, therefore, is which team will carry the lingering effects of the Wednesday night losses into Saturday's game. "There's always a little concern about coming off of a demoralizing game like that," Van Arsdale said. "I mean, an overtime game's either euphoria or depression right when it's over. "[But] I thought our guys bounced back pretty well today, and they're looking forward to another good opponent on Saturday. Sometimes having another one looking at you in the face in a couple of days lets you put the previous one behind you." The Bears team staring down the Quakers for tomorrow is a formidable one. No. 14 Brown beat Duke, 10-9, early this season and Yale two weeks ago. The Quakers were edged out by the Elis, 11-10, in their first Ivy contest this season. The Bears, throughout their lineup, are a very strong team. They have excellent attackmen and midfielders and an above-average defense. "It'll be sort of what we went through last night [against 'Nova], with the first midfielders doing a lot of creating for them," Van Arsdale said. "I think they have a little bit better attack then we saw against 'Nova, and I think a little more solid defense. It's a good, solid Ivy League team." Van Arsdale wasn't going to make any adjustments -- he just wants to get them to play a little cleaner. "Last night we showed, I thought, our best offensive stuff in a long time, and I don't think we're going to change anything dramatically to get after Brown," Van Arsdale said. "We just need to be sharp and to avoid a couple of the turnovers that cost us in the third quarter yesterday." The Quakers aren't that worried about how the game against the Bears fits into the greater scheme of their Ivy League season. They are more concerned about getting a win on Senior Day on 33rd Street. "It's one game," Van Arsdale said. "I don't think it's so much the overall picture of the league that we're looking at for this one. Maybe at the end of the year, it'll look a whole lot better to say, 'Hey we won a couple of games in the league rather than just one.' But mainly it's a chance to beat a good Ivy League team, which Penn hasn't had much success with lately." Four Penn seniors will wear their game uniforms on Franklin Field for the final time. In addition to Quakers co-captains defenseman Bill Fowler and attackman Pete Janney, midfielders Billy Reidy and Mike Kehoe will also play in the last Ancient Eight contests of their careers tomorrow. "It's the last home game of the year, the last home game for four seniors, and I think that's more the focus for this one than that it's another Ivy game," Van Arsdale said. While there will be some recognition of the seniors and an alumni dinner on Saturday night, the planned festivities aren't that extensive. "We'll announce the four seniors playing in their last home game, and we also have an awards banquet Saturday night," Van Arsdale said. "Obviously with that kind of atmosphere, you'd like to make it a special one for them to remember because it's their last time out here."