Junior leaders lace up

When Brian Voelker was hired as the men's lacrosse coach before the 2003 season, he took the helm of a program that had not been to the NCAA tournament in 13 years. But within four years, he had taken his Quakers there twice.

Now, if Penn wants to return to the postseason after last year's absence, Voelker will have to navigate a boatload of young talent through a harsh regular-season schedule.

The Quakers are coming off a mediocre 2007 in which they finished 6-7 overall and 3-3 in conference play. But while they're young - only five of the 41 players on Penn's roster are seniors - the majority of key players are coming back. Penn returns 20 of 28 letter-winners, nine of 13 starters and two of their top-three scorers.

"I feel like we've strung together three really talented recruiting classes," said Voelker of his underclassmen. "We're looking for [the freshmen] to add some punch to our team."

The Quakers certainly need to come out swinging with the schedule they've drawn. According to Inside Lacrosse, six of Penn's 13 opponents are ranked in the nation's top 20.

Key Ivy League matchups include No. 5 Princeton, a 2007 NCAA tournament team, and No. 6 Cornell, which went undefeated in 2007 conference play to win the Ivy League. The Big Red eventually lost in the NCAA tourney to No. 1 Duke by one goal.

"Obviously Cornell and Princeton are always favorites," said co-captain Max Mauro.

Outside the Ancient Eight, the Quakers open up with No. 18 Drexel and go on to play Air Force, No. 16 Denver, No. 7 Maryland and No. 14 Towson before closing the regular season at home versus Army.

"We always play a tough schedule," Voelker said. "Some years it's really bitten us in the tail, and some years it's really helped us."

Mauro noted that the competition could be the Quakers' way to the top.

"If you don't have a cupcake one week, you're not going to get bad habits," he said.

"If you want to be the best, you've got to play with the best and you've got to beat the best."

The senior also commented on the team dynamic. There was a lot of turnover before last season, with 10 players graduating. This year's core may be underclassmen, but they have experience playing together.

Mauro will likely start with four sophomores on defense, in front of a sophomore goalie. The attack, too, is pretty much the same as last year's.

"We're a little more experience at the midfield and attack spots," Voelker said. "There's no reason we shouldn't be a balanced team.

The Quakers were third in the conference last season, but when asked if Penn had a shot at the Ivy League title and an NCAA bid, Mauro didn't hesitate.

"Absolutely," he said.

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