Laxers ready for Cavs

By DON WAGNER
Collegian Sports Writer

In collegiate lacrosse, the Atlantic Coast Conference is home to some of the best lacrosse teams in the nation --Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

Those four teams hold seven NCAA lacrosse titles among them.

For the Penn State men's lacrosse team, the last school on that list holds a special significance. The Lions will take on the preseason No. 1 Cavaliers at 3 p.m. on March 8 in Charlottesville, Va.

But before looking to the Cavaliers, Penn State must first face Ohio State at 4 p.m. today in Holuba Hall. The Lions will also face Villanova at home on March 12 to round out their three spring break games.

Penn State Coach Glenn Thiel doesn't know much about the Buckeyes -- today's match is the first time he has faced them in about 10 years. But he said Ohio State is a very physical team with some very big returning defenders.

Then there is the match up that can simply be called "The Game." But Thiel -- who coached the Cavaliers from 1970-77 and led them to their only NCAA title in 1972 -- does not see the Virginia contest as any different from any other game his team will play this year.

"We won't do anything differently, and we'll just try to play our type of game," Thiel said. "If it were the end of April, this game might be more significant because the national rankings would be clearer."

The Lions "type of game" is controlling the ball and being successful in the goal and face-offs, Thiel said.

But Penn State tri-captain Mike O'Keefe and his teammates are not going into this game with any misconceptions about who it will face.

"It's a big game," he said, "but we're preparing like it's any other game, and we understand who we'll be playing."

After its match with Virginia, Penn State will return to State College to face Villanova. Thiel said the Wildcats are a team that, if taken lightly, could sneak up on the Lions.

"They've been a pesky team for us over the years," he said. "They had a great fall season and are a pretty confident group right now."