This season the men's lacrosse team will continue the search for its first Ivy League title since 1988.
But after finishing with a 2-11 record last year, it is unlikely that this year's seniors will see an end to that search.
Despite the team's struggles last year, coach Brian Voelker has created his typical challenging schedule for the team. The 13-game season features six preseason top-25 teams: No.14 North Carolina, No.25 Bucknell, No.8 Cornell, No.17 Dartmouth, No.10 Princeton and No.4 Maryland.
That sort of difficult slate of games can be a double-edged sword.
"Two years ago the schedule that we played really benefited us and the NCAA selection committee rewarded us," Voelker said about his 2004 team, which finished 7-7 and made the tournament with an at-large bid. But "last year it hurt us to play so many tough teams."
The Quakers have prepared for the strenuous schedule that lies ahead of them by holding scrimmages against No.11 Towson and No.24 Rutgers.
Voelker would not reveal the scores of the scrimmages, but he was pleased with how Penn competed against Towson.
He was far less satisfied with his team's effort against the Scarlet Knights.
"After Saturday it's been tough to make some decisions at the offensive end because nobody played well," he said.
Though there are 16 letter winners and seven returning starters, plenty of playing time and starting spots are still up for grabs. The team has 13 freshmen, ten of who are still competing for time.
"Our team is really strange because we're really experienced in some spots and we're also counting on freshmen to play a lot," Voelker said.
And those freshmen are challenging the older players with their enthusiasm and talent.
"The athleticism of some of those guys is great, but at the same time we need those guys to be learning, picking up some of the things that the D-I level requires," senior defender Andrew Blechman said.
At the other end of the spectrum, Penn also features ten seniors. Among them are three of last year's top four scorers: D.J. Andrzejewski, Luke Dixson and James Riordan.
However, this may not be saying much. Penn scored an unremarkable 6.80 goals a game last year but allowed a stunning 10.17. And if the Quakers are going to win more, they need to score more.
Andrzejewski, who led the team in scoring with 17 goals, could be a big part of that success.
"We feel that we need him in the game all the time to bring some stability and leadership to the offensive end," Voelker said.
The midfield should be young and very athletic, while the defense should be solid. Blechman "has a chance to be as good as any defenseman in the Ivy League," according to Voelker.
Voelker also expects senior defender Joe Shanagan to be a crucial contributor to the defensive line.
He was named Penn's most valuable player last season.
But most of all the Quakers' victory depends on their ability to pay attention to the details.
"The biggest thing right now is to do the little things right," Blechman said. "Just doing the tiniest things that make a difference -- being crisp, being sharp."
Last year, Penn went 1-4 in games decided by two points or less. Those details will be key in turning those losses into wins, as the team was able to do in 2004 when it went 5-1 in games decided by the same margin.
While the Quakers may not be a favorite to win the Ivy League -- or even make the tournament, --their challenging schedule and batch of athletic freshmen are a step toward their ultimate aspirations.
"Our long-range goals for the program are to be the best team in the country," Voelker said.
