W. Lax likes the look of the scoreboard

To say that the Penn women's lacrosse team is having a breakthrough season would be an understatement. Three weekends ago, the Quakers beat Harvard for the first time since 1998. And just last weekend, Penn took out Brown for the first time since 1996. "It was amazing. I've never beaten Brown in my four years here," Penn senior defender Amy Weinstein said. "It was real emotional, and after the game, I was taking pictures of the scoreboard in the background with my parents. It was definitely a big deal." And with the 9-8 victory over the Bears, the Quakers picked up their seventh win of the season -- a milestone that has been out of the program's reach for 16 of the last 17 years. "It's a product of the intensity we try to ask for in practice," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "They're understanding what it takes to play at the top of Division I. We're not all the way there yet, but we're climbing the ladder." The win also gave Penn its first three-win Ivy season since 1996. "Harvard and Brown were big wins for us to go up the Ivy League ladder," Brower said. So with two games left in the regular season, the 2001 Quakers only have one hurdle left to jump -- finishing with a .500 record or better, a feat that they have not accomplished since 1994. "If our next two games are wins, we're going to finish with the first winning season in who knows how long," Weinstein said. "Plus, with the chance of maybe going to the ECAC tournament, [a win would] look good for us and hopefully get us in the door." The Quakers (7-7) will take their first shot at the .500 season at 4 p.m. today against Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Temple (8-5) on the Owls' home turf. "Temple's going to be a rough game for us," Brower said. "They're much more physical than any team we've seen." The Quakers -- in sharp contrast to the Owls -- rely on their speed and quickness. Nonetheless, Penn has had some success against the big, physical teams. Two weeks ago, the Quakers managed to pull off a 6-5 win over Rutgers in a CN8-televised contest on Franklin Field. The game was as physical as they come, with both teams getting several push-and-shove fouls, as well as a few green and yellow cards. Today's game will likely be of a similar nature. And while the two teams differ greatly in their styles of play, they do have several things in common. Both Penn and Temple are second-tier Division I teams -- lacrosse programs that challenge schools in the top 20, but have a hard time leaving with a victory. "Neither of us have a real big win in the top 20, so we both need to beat each other," Brower said. Six of the Quakers' seven losses this season have been against top 20 teams, whereas all five Owls losses have been against the nation's best. In order to hand Temple its first non-top 20 loss of the season, Penn will need to shut down the Owls' midfield. Temple's biggest threats are juniors Jen Jefferson and Robin Keevan. Both have great moves in one-on-one situations and will cause havoc on the scoreboard if Penn's defenders do not get to the doubles early. But if the Quakers complete the doubles, and their aggressive side comes out to play, Weinstein may find herself taking pictures of the scoreboard one more time.

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