Laxers' season gets into full swing with trio of matches

Hoping to bounce back from a tough loss against the No. 10 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the Penn State men's lacrosse team heads off to cross-state rival Villanova tomorrow and No. 2 Maryland at College Park Wednesday.

The Nittany Lions (0-1) will return to open their home schedule against the No. 9 Georgetown Hoyas (1-0) at 1 p.m. on March 15 in Holuba Hall.

"It's not a break for us," said Penn State coach Glenn Thiel. "It's going to be a tough week."

Freshman midfielder Randy Kleinman said despite the loss to Notre Dame, the team will go in with a positive attitude and it will not harp on its loss.

Kleinman also said the team will look to turn things around this week because it is important for playoff implications.

"This week is probably one of the biggest weeks of the season for us," he said.

Thiel said these games will be challenges, but as long as the team minimizes its mistakes, handles the ball well and avoids penalties, it will have a good chance to win.

"We just have to take care of the ball and make sure that we take care of business," he said.

Because the Wildcats (0-1) are a strong, defensive team and they slide their defense early, Thiel said the offense will have to move the ball quickly.

Penn State will also have to step up against the powerhouses of Maryland (2-0) and Georgetown, Thiel said.

"Maryland and Georgetown are two of the premier teams in the country," he said.

Thiel added that mistakes will have to be minimal and the Lions will have to force turnovers and move the ball quickly up and down the field. The defense will have to play well to counter the tremendous scoring ability of these two teams.

Although many students will still be on break, Georgetown coach Dave Urick said it will be difficult for the Hoyas to come to Holuba Hall after facing a challenging stretch of games against Army and Butler.

"It's tough to win on the road, anytime you play," he said.

Because many of Penn State's starters are inexperienced, Thiel said these games will help the team gain experience and evaluate its chemistry and performance.

"We are still feeling things out."