M. Lax | Revenge is best served in the cold

Nothing jump-starts a season quite like a shot at revenge.

The men's lacrosse team gets the opportunity to open its season on a high note tomorrow against Drexel, where local pride, retribution for last year's loss and season-opening momentum are all on the line.

"We're really looking forward to playing those guys," coach Brian Voelker said. "They got to us last year and probably stole one from us. We're looking to go to their home field, repay them and have a great game and get our first 'W.'"

In their 2008 opener, Penn held an 8-5 lead over the Dragons with under nine minutes to play. But Drexel (0-1) rallied to score four unanswered goals and walked away with the 9-8 victory and West Philadelphia bragging rights. That heartbreaker is still fresh in the Quakers' memories.

"The guys who were here, it's definitely in our minds," senior co-captain Craig Andrzejewski said. "And we're definitely going to get that message to the younger guys that we're not going to let that happen again."

This year, the Quakers head to Drexel's Vidas Field looking for another upset. The Dragons - who received three votes in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll - put up a respectable effort last week against No. 1 Virginia, falling 13-7.

The 2009 Drexel squad will be markedly different than last year's but remains one of the best in the region.

Offensively, leading goal scorer Andrew Chapman has graduated, but points and assists leader Colin Ambler returns for his junior year.

While senior goalkeeper Bruce Bickford and his 6.99 goals-against-average - which ranked fifth nationally last year - has departed for the National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm, freshman Mark Manos seems to be filling in admirably. He was named Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week after making 17 saves against the Cavaliers' attack last week.

He'll have his work cut out for him against the Penn offense, anchored by Andrzejewski and sophomore Corey Winkoff. The offense is eager to show its offseason improvement by making noise against the Dragons in the season opener.

That firepower will be crucial to pulling off the upset. Offensive futility was the primary culprit in last year's loss - the Quakers turned the ball over on five of their final seven possessions.

But at this point in the season, even vengeance must take a back seat to simply winning the first game of the season.

"We want to get things rolling," senior J.J. Lian said. "Two scrimmages don't mean anything right now. We're 0-0 and just looking to come out and play hard."

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