Penn men’s lacrosse coach Mike Murphy is giving his offense two weeks notice.
Two weeks to match his defense’s level of play, that is.
“I feel like it takes about two weeks for the offense to catch up to the defense,” Murphy said.
He added that he thinks the defense is completely up to speed, but “I guess we’ll find out on Saturday,” he said.
The Quakers’ 2011 season begins Saturday when Penn hosts reigning national champion Duke at Franklin Field.
And if the offense is lagging a bit behind the defense in overall development heading into the first contest, it’s not for lack of effort.
Defensive schemes often involve far less precise movements, intricate plays and what Murphy calls “fine motor skill with the stick work.”
Offense, Murphy contends, takes more time to master because it requires that players get used to each other as well as to the game plan and offensive patterns that the Quakers run.
That’s a long, intensive process.
But it certainly helps when players spend the offseason improving their individual stick work. And according to Murphy, that’s exactly what his squad has been doing.
“I think a lot of guys have really stepped up and developed their games,” the second-year coach said. “In a lot of different ways, really.”
In particular, Murphy is looking for a pair of stellar sophomores to step up and shoulder a significant portion of the scoring and defensive burdens.
Attack Ryan Parietti and defenseman Anthony Santomo should play big roles for the Red and Blue on opposite ends of the field.
“They kind of figured it out last year as to what’s expected,” Murphy said. “And then they went out and did it.”
But still, the Quakers know that offseason development doesn’t matter if you don’t use it on the field.
They will be tested early on with this weekend’s game against the Blue Devils.
After that, Penn won’t find much relief in the remainder of its schedule.
Bucknell and Lafayette will visit before the Quakers travel to Chapel Hill to square off against another elite North Carolina lacrosse team in the No. 12 Tar Heels.
Penn will also travel to No. 1 Virginia to play the Cavaliers in the final game of the regular season.
But despite all of the high-profile games Penn has slated for the 2011 season, Murphy has his eyes focused on the true object of his desire within the Ancient Eight.
“Our primary objective is to win the Ivy League championship,” he said.
A win against the Blue Devils “would be nice,” but it’s not the Red and Blue’s central focus.
Whether that’s the right strategy remains to be seen.
A quest towards an Ivy League crown starts one win at a time, and a win against Duke would be as good a win as any.
“It would be 1-0,” Murphy said. “Which is what we are trying to do.”
