Superstitious captain ready to lead M. Lax

If you ask Penn men's lacrosse tri-captain Todd Minerley what he wears under his jersey before every game, he'll answer you with the same response he's had for the past eight seasons. "I wear this one shirt that I've been wearing since my freshman year of high school," the senior attackman said. "I didn't wear it once and separated my shoulder in that game, so I've been wearing the same thing ever since." The T-shirt has become such a regular in the locker room that even his teammates know about it. "As an athlete, he's definitely superstitious," sophomore attackman Scott Solow said. "When he warms up, he goes through a routine the same exact way every day. Even with his sticks, he's really superstitious and won't let anyone else touch them. And then there's the dumpy gray T-shirt." But whether or not you believe in superstitions, they seem to be effective for Minerley. In his four seasons donning the Red and Blue, he has amassed 139 career points -- including 75 goals and 64 assists. All are current team highs. He is frequently referred to as the team's "quarterback," as he is the one who organizes the offense and makes decisions on the field. "He's essentially like an extension of coaching out on the field," Penn coach Marc van Arsdale said. "He's our quarterback, he makes good decisions and is good with the ball. Especially this season, he's allowed his personal statistics to take a backseat to help the team generate more offense." Captaining the Quakers along with seniors Justin O'Connell and Kevin Cadin, Minerley has consistently led by example throughout his Penn career. "He is a lacrosse junkie -- he eats, sleeps and breathes it," Penn senior midfielder Adam Solow said. "He's the consummate player on the field and in the locker room. He works harder than anyone else out there." But perhaps his most significant contribution has been off the field, in helping to build stronger team unity. "The best thing Todd has done as captain is to get the entire group together," van Arsdale said. "He went out of his way to get the freshmen especially involved and to integrate the classes." Freshman midfielder Dan Craig echoed van Arsdale's sentiments. "Todd and all of the seniors have gone out of their way to make us feel included," Craig said. "As a freshman, it can be hard to feel included because you're coming into a new team and you're not sure of your role yet. It's easy to be intimidated, but we haven't felt like that at all." Gray shirt and all, Minerley -- along with the other six seniors on the team -- will be looking to end his Ivy League career on a strong note when Penn travels to Providence tomorrow to face Brown (4-4, 1-2 Ivy). With the win, the Quakers(4-4, 2-3 Ivy) would carve out a little bit of history. Only one other Penn team has been able to finish its season with a .500 Ivy record since 1991. "We really want to finish the Ivy League at .500," Scott Solow said. "It would be a really big improvement and something solid for us to build on." The Bears will present a strong defensive challenge, with five veteran upperclassmen leading the aggressive defensive effort. Offensively, however, they will be playing shorthanded, with some of their attackmen sidelined due to injury. But the Red and Blue refuse to take anything for granted. "They're a really good team and we have to play a good game," Minerley said. "If we play the best game that we're capable of, we can win this one." The Quakers will have to play on a grass field for the first time this season, requiring a slight adjustment in play from turf. "We're ready," Scott Solow said. "It's on grass, which is quite a bit different, but we've been practicing for it all week." Coming off of a 7-4 win over Dartmouth, the Quakers are hungry to defeat another Ivy rival to end their league season with a victory. "I'd like to finish my Ivy career with a win -- that would be nice," Adam Solow said. "And to do it by beating Brown would be even better."

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