As the Penn men's lacrosse team ran onto the practice field yesterday, shouting and cheering, it was clear that last Saturday's 13-5 loss against No. 8 Cornell wasn't on anybody's mind. The focus this week has been tomorrow's matchup with Dartmouth (4-4, 0-1 Ivy).
The Quakers (4-3, 2-1) were bounced from the top 20 by the Big Red, as Penn was held to its fewest goals and assists all season.
"We saw the film, learned from our mistakes and moved past it - put that one behind us," said co-captain Max Mauro. "We came out flat and got beat between the lines; that's what's going to win it for us [tomorrow]."
The senior defender will help his team try to repeat last year's effort, in which the Quakers edged the Big Green 8-7 by scoring five unanswered in the fourth quarter. That ended Dartmouth's four-game winning streak and their run at an Ivy title.
To reasonably have a shot at a conference title, the Quakers will likely have to win out. They're sandwiched between three winless teams and three undefeated ones, with Cornell in front at 2-0.
"We can't worry about what Cornell is or isn't going to do," said coach Brian Voelker. "We have to worry about Dartmouth."
More specifically, the Quakers will have to worry about Ari Sussman, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year. The sophomore attack is currently leading his team in goals and total points.
"He's lefty, he's real crafty, [his game] is kind of funky-looking, he scores a lot, he's quick, he feeds the ball well," said Voelker.
A second punch is junior attack Brian Koch. He's right behind Sussman in goals and points.
With Penn goalie Chris Casey surrendering nearly 10 goals per game, the Quakers will need more production from their two leading scorers, Craig Andrejewski and Alex Weber.
While the duo will have to step up from their combined three goals last Saturday, Penn will need a team effort to win.
"On offense . nobody needs to be the superhero and run through three dodges and make a behind-the-back pass," said Mauro.
Even though the Big Green are undefeated at home this season, the Quakers don't believe in home-field advantage.
"It's only going to be an advantage to them if we let it be," said Mauro. "If we don't worry about the outside variables we'll be fine."
Voelker agrees.
"We're all playing on the same field," he said. "It's a tough place to play, it's a long trip, but you can use that as an excuse or you can play harder and win the game."
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