Imposing schedules loom for Penn men's and women's lacrosse

As Penn women’s lacrosse looks for its eighth straight Ivy title and men’s lacrosse seeks to make the jump into the NCAA tournament, the Quakers have scheduled some tough opponents to get them ready for an important season.

Feb. 21- Penn men’s lacrosse visits Duke

Last season, the Red and Blue began the season in stylish fashion, taking down Duke at Franklin Field. But a year later, the Quakers head down to Durham to take on the defending national champion the Blue Devils, a team that is already 2-0 on the season.

Duke is led by All-ACC senior attack Jordan Wolf , who scored two goals in Penn’s 14-9 upset over the Blue Devils last season. And alongside Wolf at attack is fellow senior Josh Dionne. Dionne may be smaller (5-foot-7) but is a big part of Duke’s offense, having scored 10 goals in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

March 2- Women’s lacrosse at North Carolina

While Duke is No. 2 on the men’s side, the Penn women’s squad is upping the ante, going down to Chapel Hill to take on top-ranked North Carolina. The Tar Heels are led on attack by senior Abbey Friend. Friend, a preseason second team All-American, already has tallied 10 goals this year.

Facing the defending national champions’ attack will be first-team all-Ivy goalie Lucy Ferguson. The junior allowed 10 goals in Penn’s matchup with the Tar Heels last year, but she only lost four games the rest of the season while in goal, so the second time may be the charm.

March 19- Maryland,  my Maryland

Just 17 days after the matchup with North Carolina, another ACC foe will face off with Penn, as Maryland comes to Franklin Field. Penn faced off with the Terrapins in College Park, Md. last season, falling 15-10.

This season, Maryland is ranked third in the nation while No. 16 Penn will already be two games into its Ivy title defense when the Terrapins come to town.

March 22- Last year’s runner-up comes to town

In a game scheduled to be played at Penn Park, Penn men’s lacrosse will take on defending Ivy champion Cornell in a crucial Ivy matchup. The Big Red handed the Quakers their first Ivy loss last year in a 10-5 game up in Ithaca, N.Y., so Penn will be out for revenge this time out. Then-junior Zack Losco scored two goals against Cornell, and he’ll be an important part of Penn’s chances this time as well.

April 12- Hanover and hopeful

For Penn women’s lacrosse’s third Ivy game of the year, the Quakers go to New Hampshire to face a Dartmouth squad still steaming after two defeats last year. The first Penn victory over the Big Green was also on April 12, an 8-7 squeaker at Franklin Field.

The second matchup was even more memorable, with Penn taking home the Ivy League Tournament Championship in a 10-7 victory. The Red and Blue hope to duplicate that title this season, but Dartmouth hopes to put a dent in those chances come April.

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