Time runs out on M. Lax's bid for win

If only a lacrosse game lasted 30 minutes instead of an hour. Then the Penn men's lacrosse team (0-1) would be able to celebrate a season-opening victory over Notre Dame (2-0), rather than have to think about what could have been. The 10-8 final score was a disappointing finish to a strong first half, in which the Quakers' collective efforts earned them a 5-4 halftime lead. "We had a good half-field game at both ends of the field," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "Offensively, we generated good opportunities when we had the chance. When we avoided penalties, the defense was very solid." Multiple fouls seemed to do the Quakers in, including a Fighting Irish man-up goal in the middle of a costly four-goal Notre Dame run in the third quarter. "We did a lot of good things, like playing six-on-six offense and defense very well, but we also did a couple of bad things," Penn sophomore attackman Scott Solow said. "We have to stay out of the penalty box and convert on opportunities with a man-up." Still, the Red and Blue were trailing by only one goal at the start of the last quarter. "We had some chances in the fourth, but just didn't cash in," Van Arsdale said. Despite the disappointing outcome, however, the Quakers are convinced that their close game against the 11th-ranked Irish is proof of the improvement they continue to make. "The big thing for us right now is just to continue to improve," Van Arsdale said. "We are better coming off of this game than we were one week ago." Penn sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Kelly had 16 saves on the day, continuing his solid performance from the preseason. "Ryan played the best game," Solow said. "He's played really well like he's been doing all along this season." But perhaps one of the Quakers' biggest question marks heading into Sunday's game was who, if anyone, would step up to generate offense this season after Penn lost top offensive threat Peter Janney to graduation. The answer came from seven different players, with junior attackman Peter Scott leading the way with two goals, and senior tri-captain Todd Minerley and senior midfielder Adam Solow adding two points apiece. "We have a pretty unselfish group of guys out on the field, which was reflected in the distribution of the offense," Van Arsdale said. And with one regular season game under their belts, the Quakers will take this week to prepare for their home season opener on March 10, when they host Bucknell at Franklin Field. "We just have to keep on working hard in practice to make the necessary adjustments, and keep on getting better," Scott Solow said.

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