The Boston University women's lacrosse team is in the midst of its best season in program history. BU has won 18 games - tying a school mark set two years ago - including the last 15, its longest winning streak of all-time.
It may be the nation's longest winning streak of 2008, but Penn's current 13-game run is second.
The No. 7 Terriers (18-2) still will be the underdogs when they face the No. 2 Quakers (15-1) tomorrow in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament first-round matchup. Penn won that game, 11-5.
This year, the stakes will be higher: The teams will be playing for a trip to the Final Four, with the winner getting either No. 3 Maryland or unseeded Duke next Friday.
Penn coach Karin Brower is not looking to last year's game too intently.
" We'll know each other a little bit more than perhaps last year," Brower said. "But it's a new year. We have a couple of key people gone; we play a little bit differently than last year."
Just like 2007, the Quakers will have to practice and play away from Franklin Field, despite being the higher seed. Last year, graduation pushed the game to Rhodes Field. But the two squads tore up Penn's soccer field, so this year they will play at Drexel's Vidas Field.
"This whole season we've been on the road a lot," Brower said. "It's not ideal; the kids would like to be home on Franklin Field. But they're a pretty good-natured group, and there's nothing we can do about that."
This game will be emotional for the two senior classes, the winningest classes in their respective programs' history. Penn's amassed a record of 49-16 while their BU counterparts have gone 63-15.
And the Terriers' two seniors have been instrumental in BU's best season ever. Attack Lauren Morton is second on the team with 63 points and midfielder Molly Collins is fourth with 45.
But those numbers pale in comparison to those of junior Sarah Dalton, whose 3.83 goals per game is third in the nation.
The Terriers' offense is the third-best in the country. It has notched 427 points, 161 more than Penn.
"They're a good, well balanced team," Brower said. "A lot of the team can score, which is harder to defend than a team with just two superstars. We must play good team defense."
Brower was not happy with the defense in Penn's 16-7 win over Colgate in the first round Sunday.
"On Sunday we just weren't playing the team defense we've played this whole year," she said. "Hopefully with exams being over we're ready to focus."
The Terriers, meanwhile, had no trouble focusing in their 16-8 first-round victory over New Hampshire last Sunday. They came back after trailing by two to end the game on a remarkable 8-0 run.
"At no point did the players seem frantic or worried. That's something that I think you need in NCAA play," coach Liz Robertshaw said.
But in the end, Penn believes that last year's Final Four run - including the win over BU - will help its chances tomorrow.
"Last week that game [against Colgate] was exciting because you're in the tournament," Brower said. "But it wasn't brand new. We know what the Final Four is like, and we want to be back."
