For kings of the hill, every game is played on the edge and upstart-minded teams always are attempting to score the major upset. Being ranked No. 1 doesn't help, either. In fact, it just makes the underdogs hungrier.

The top-ranked women's lacrosse team survived one of these attacks yesterday by rallying to defeat Loyola (Md.), 10-5, on the road.

"Loyola came out fired up and played aggressive lacrosse," Coach Sue Scheetz said. "They wanted the upset -- all their guns were firing. It was tough. You have to give them credit for playing a great game."

What the Lady Greyhounds did was come out and take a 4-3 lead late in the first half on Karen Raven's second goal, stunning the favored Lady Lions (4-0).

"Loyola came out and played a really tight game. It was a slow and deliberate offense," Scheetz said. "Our defense got caught ball-watching, we got pulled out and they made some shots."

It took a Tami Worley goal with just :57 left in the half to give Penn State a one-goal lead at intermission. As the half ended, the Lady Lions had almost double the shots of Loyola, but still had a much closer game on their hands than anticipated.

"In the second half, on defense we started jelling," Scheetz said. "The reason we didn't take out (Cheri) McMonagle was because the defense was jelling and we didn't want to change anything."

After halftime, the defense -- led by Stephanie Myers, Tracy Mass, Elena Brazer, Anne Kolongowski, Becky Vaughan and McMonagle -- conceded just one goal. Loyola's Sabrina Gallagher scored at the 32:24 mark, knotting the score at 5-5.

Then, Worley took control. After center Diane Whipple gave the team a precarious one-goal lead at 35:01 (assist by Niki Staszesky), Worley --one of the team's senior tri-captains -- hit for three straight goals. The last came with just 1:59 left in the game, giving Penn State a commanding 9-5 lead.

With five goals total and one assist, Worley continued her march up the Penn State record books. She is currently in fourth place on the team's all-time scoring list with 223 points, just 11 behind standout Beth Thompson (1983-86). Also, her one assist tied her with Maggy Dunphy (1983-86) at 51 assists, good for eighth-place overall.

Going into the game, Mary Ann Foley led the team in scoring with 17 goals. Since Foley has been on fire this season, Loyola keyed its defense on her, forcing Scheetz to make changes in the game plan.

Scheetz said Foley's role in the offense was reduced because the Lady Greyhounds were concentrating mainly on her. This allowed for Worley's scoring spree. Still, Foley was able to notch a goal with only one tick left on the clock.

The play of the freshman Kolongowski kept the Lady Lions in the match early on. She grabbed the first goal of the game at 1:46 and claimed her second exactly twelve minutes later. Her third goal tied the game at 4-4 late in the half. Kolongowski's second and third goals were assisted by Lee Clough, part of her four on the afternoon. Clough now leads the team in assists with nine, one ahead of Worley.

The Lady Lions take the field again next Tuesday in an important home match with Temple. Scheetz said some changes will have to be made in practice to get ready for the game against the defending national champions.

"We have to get the offense back on track," Scheetz said. "(In the Loyola game) we went out of our offensive pattern. We have to get back more into some pressure situations."