There won't be any room for error in Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday as Penn prepares to face off against North Carolina for the first time ever.
The Quakers' No. 2 ranking last season earned them the right to compete against the top lacrosse squads in the country, and that includes perennial powerhouse UNC.
"They have a lot of threats - every kid on that team's a named recruit," Penn coach Karin Brower said.
Her team dropped two spots in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's rankings, to No. 8, after its lackluster win over Drexel (The Tar Heels took the Quakers' spot at No. 6).
"We didn't really gel a whole lot," Brower said of the team's performance.
While Penn was busy with the Dragons, UNC got its season off to a strong start with decisive victories over Loyola, Albany, No. 18 Denver and Brown.
Largely relying on their speed and athleticism, the Tar Heels have succeeded with their fast-break attack, averaging 14.5 goals per game this season.
"We have to set the tempo," Brower said.
But it's far from clear that Penn will be able to get into its offense against an elite Tar Heels team. Without last year's leading scorer Chrissy Muller, the Quakers will have to look elsewhere for answers. Against Drexel, they netted just six goals.
"We need to be a lot more dynamic on the attack," Brower said.
The Quakers' ability to dominate teams from the draw brought them to the NCAA quarterfinals last season, but they struggled last weekend. After winning 201 of 359 draws (56 percent) in 2007, they won just 4 of 13 (31 percent) against the Dragons.
And if the Red and Blue hope to hang tough this weekend, they might have to maintain possession without the help of midfielder and draw specialist Allison Ambrozy. The senior tore her ACL this fall and has yet to practice with the team.
"She might take some draws, but she's not going to play much," Brower said. "She's not ready to take on what she did last year and be our biggest midfielder."
Brower seemed resigned, but still somewhat optimistic, for Saturday's game.
"Were going to do the best we can," Brower said, "and hope we can put it together."
