In a rain-soaked contest in Harrisonburg, Va., junior Megan Smith scored a pair of goals and registered four assists as the women's lacrosse team cruised to a 8-2 win over James Madison on Saturday afternoon.

A steady downpour greeted the Lady Lions in Virginia and continued throughout the contest, leaving the field conditions sloppy and slick.

"It was a sloppy game because of the weather. Passing and catching was close to nil. Everyone was slipping and losing position," Coach Julie Williams said.

Prior to the game, Williams asked her players to fall in the mud during pre-game warmups to get used to the nature of the field's water-logged surface.

"We assumed those would be the conditions. What we worked on from the beginning was to resign ourselves to falling and getting muddy. We anticipated that our teammates would lose position and the ball," Williams said.

Although a few players thought Williams' request was a joke, Smith heeded the coach's advice.

"I wiped out and fell down to get used to the mud," Smith said.

Although it led to several dirty uniforms, the tactic must have worked. Throughout the contest, the Lady Lions were more successful at handling the adverse weather conditions than the Duchesses.

"The nature of the game was slip-slop. We adjusted to the weather better," Williams said. "It was a good triumph over the weather."

The Lady Lions focused on the short passing game and trailing behind the action to pick up loose balls and cover their fallen teammates.

Slowing down the pace and following each other's cuts, Penn State jumped out to a 5-0 halftime lead.

"We accepted that it wasn't going to be a perfect game, anything but," Smith said. "We tried to slow down and get the passes in, to play with a little patience."

All-American Diane Whipple and sophomore Deanna Blood tallied two scores each.

"It was all a part of footing, we handled it pretty well and compensated for the field," Blood said.

The trio's performance along with a staunch defense anchored by goalie Kay Young's four saves shut down James Madison.

"It was a defensive game throughout. We pressured midfield to make them drop the ball," Williams said.

"The defense did a great of matching up and talking, and taking little risks," Blood said.

The conditions took away the home field advantage and speed of the Lady Dukes.

"Coach told us that they're new players, but they're quick. When they got behind they seemed to panic," Smith said.

"They were on our backs throughout. It wasn't close in score, but it was on the field," Blood said.

The victory raised the Lady Lions' season mark to 2-0. The defending national champions are adjusting to the loss of several players to graduation last year and to the injuries of two returning players.

"We're at a good beginning stage, doing exactly what we want to do," Williams said.

Penn State's next contest is tomorrow afternoon at 3, when it faces Loyola in its home opener at Lady Lion Field.