Kirt Benedict remembers the last three years all too well. The senior forward was part of the Lady Lion field hockey team that made three trips to the NCAA playoffs -- three trips that ended in heartache.
It is a feeling she never wants to have again.
This weekend, Benedict and her three senior teammates begin their last quest ever for a national title. In their 12th NCAA appearance, the No. 1-seeded Lady Lions (19-1) meet Big East champion Syracuse (17-3-1) at noon Sunday at Holuba Hall Turf -- student admission is three dollars.
"We're a lot more experienced," Benedict said. "We have the experience of being in the Final Four --my freshman year, my sophomore year. We know what it's like to lose, and we don't like that feeling."
Earlier this season, the Lady Lions handed the Orangewomen a 4-1 loss to open the season. Syracuse defeated UPenn 3-0 yesterday to advance to the quarterfinals.
Coach Char Morett said the team will approach Sunday's game as if it were for the championship.
"This is just an exciting time for us right now," she said. "We came through the regular season better than we had anticipated."
Morett is confident the strength of the Lady Lions' regular season schedule, when they played many top-ranked opponents on the road, has prepared them well for the tournament. But she knows any of the eight teams are capable of winning the title.
"There is no doubt in my mind that this is the team that can win it," Morett said, adding that if they stay focused, no one can beat them.
Morett said developing more corner shot options will play a big part in preparing for the tournament.
"All year, we rarely showed any options," she said. "Our option was pretty much, 'Is Chris (McGinley) going to score on the right side of the cage or on the left?' "
Co-captain Becca Main said the bye in the first round gives the team plenty of time to prepare for their last home game on Sunday.
"The confidence level is a lot different from last year," she said.
Last year, it was the Minutewomen of Massachusetts that halted the Lady Lions' quest with a 1-0 overtime win in the quarterfinals. Then ranked No. 5, the Lady Lions were denied a third consecutive trip to the Final Four.
In 1991, North Carolina played spoiler. Ranked No. 2, the Lady Lions were defeated 1-0 in the semifinals, after defeating Boston University 3-0 in the quarters. In the overtime consolation game, the Lady Lions dropped to a fourth-place finish with a 2-1 loss to Maryland.
In 1990, after winning their quarterfinal match 5-0 over Temple, the Lady Lions were stopped, again by the Lady Tar Heels, 1-0 in the semifinals. In the consolation game, yet another loss -- this time to Iowa, this time another 1-0 score.
What was most heartbreaking about the losses was that Penn State outshot its opponents 47-19. A win Sunday will give the Lady Lions a shot at their first NCAA Final Four win -- the team is 0-8 in Final Four matches.
But don't tell that to Benedict and her teammates. It's a feeling they don't plan on reliving.
Notes:
-- In other first round action, James Madison scored a major upset, eliminating Old Dominion with a 1-0 shutout. In the battle of Massachusetts, UMass rolled over Boston University 2-0. Northwestern California-Berkley.
