Last year, the Penn women's lacrosse team beat Dartmouth for the first time in exactly 16 years.
This year, as the No. 6 Quakers (9-1, 4-0 Ivy) try to win in Hanover, N.H. tomorrow for the first time since April 9, 1988, the stakes aren't quite as high as last year when the teams were first and third in the standings.
This year, not only is Dartmouth significantly worse - the team is just 5-5 overall with a paltry 1-3 Ivy record - but there are two potential distractions for the Quakers: Spring Fling and a key match-up with Princeton looming in the near future.
First off, while the rest of their classmates are enjoying fried Oreos and music in the quad, the Quakers will be on a bus going to New Hampshire.
"Of course you'd want to go to the Ludacris concert," senior captain Melissa Lehman said.
"But if you think about it, playing here in May for a national championship, that memory is so much more than just another weekend at Penn. It's unfortunate, but we take it in stride because we'd rather be doing what we love."
And even though the Red and Blue face the undefeated No. 2 Tigers on Wednesday, they're thinking green, not orange and black.
"Everyone of us has to realize that Dartmouth, yeah, maybe they're not having their best year - but they always give us a tough game," Lehman said. "It's nothing to look by at all."
In fact, coach Karin Brower has just one victory over the Big Green in her eight-year tenure.
If she wants win number two, then the Quakers must work on putting together two solid 30 minute halves of both offense and defense - something Brower admits her team has not done thus far.
"It's about coming out strong but finishing strong," Brower said. "There's no question they're going to score, but we need to answer back. We need to get the draw and then think on the next play and not what just happened."
In addition to focusing on her own team's play, Brower believes that Dartmouth is still a formidable opponent, despite its youth - and record.
"They're really young, but they're aggressive with a good trap," she said.
"They have good strength, good size and good skill. They're starting to gel. They go really hard, and we've got to be prepared for that."
Of Dartmouth's nine players that have seen action in all of its games, three are freshmen. At the same time, the Big Green's top offensive threat - Kristen Barry, who has netted 33 points with 24 goals - is a senior.
In the end, despite all of the potential distractions and Dartmouth's below-average season, the potential for Penn's first win in the Granite State in over 20 years takes the cake.
"Of all games this season, this is probably the biggest one to date," Lehman said.
