Far from any tropical beach, the men's lacrosse team still has the chance to make waves this spring break.
With two home games on the docket in between classes, Penn has an opportunity this afternoon to knock off a top-20 team in No. 18 Denver (3-1) and win its first league contest next Saturday against Yale (1-2, 0-0 Ivy).
The Quakers can rely on experience in their first contest, facing Denver for the third consecutive year, but the Pioneers won both prior meetings in close fashion - including a 12-11 overtime victory last season.
"They're pretty much the same every year," attack Craig Andrzejewski said. "They're real high pressure on defense, they want to cause turnovers down the field and get goals in transition."
The senior co-captain, who is coming off a three-goal performance against Villanova, noted a team like Denver is easy to exploit if the Red and Blue can handle the ball and stick to the game plan.
If Andrzejewski is right, the Quakers (1-1) could have a shootout on their hands like last season, when both squads combined for 78 shots.
After getting routed at No. 3 North Carolina, 20-7, the Rocky Mountain squad is riding high off three straight victories, averaging over 11 goals in that stretch.
With several young guns up front and a couple veterans in the middle, the offense is poised to break loose at any point in the game.
"They have two really good players at the midfield that are the two leading point-getters," Penn coach Brian Voelker said. "We have to do a good job containing those guys."
Voelker is referring to junior Charley Dickenson and senior Joey Murray, respectively.
At 5-foot-7, Dickenson led the team in assists last year and relies on speed and quickness to execute his game. Murray, a 6-foot, 200-pound bruiser has already racked up nine goals this season.
To make matters worse, Murray had a hat-trick against the Red and Blue last season.
Regardless, upsetting a high-caliber team like Denver could yield the momentum Penn needs to start off conference play on the right foot.
As for the time in between games, Voelker has an idea for training.
"We'll be pro lacrosse players," Voelker said. "We'll be doing a lot of film stuff. . I'm not a big believer in two-a-days, but we will do a lot of lacrosse things."
Voelker admitted that he hasn't looked at Yale yet, but with game experience to build on and a week of film sessions, the Quakers no doubt have time on their side.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will limp into Franklin Field on the heels of an 18-6 dismantling at the hands of No. 19 Massachusetts.
Yale's 1-2 start is inauspicious after finishing their 2008 campaign at 4-10.
The mentality doesn't change between conference and nonconference games, according to Voelker. But the Quakers will need a winning mindset if they hope to resume classes with a 3-1 record.
"We've just got to get the snow off the field first," Voelker said.
