Now is the time to make tables turn, but the Penn State women's lacrosse team better catch fire, or it's going to get burned.

Finding themselves in a bit of a slump after dropping their last two contests, the Lions have a golden opportunity to turn the tide when they travel to Maryland for the ACC/Big 10 Challenge this weekend. They will take on two of the nation's top programs at Ludwig Field when they go to war with No. 7 Maryland (5-3) at 7 p.m. today, and meet No. 5 North Carolina (5-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

"I think if we can pull off an upset this weekend it'll turn around our season," sophomore Katie Hartman said. "Our team will start playing with confidence. Lack of confidence has been a problem."

The Lions had better bring a confident swagger and some extra smooth game for their contest with Maryland tonight. After starting the season 1-3, the seven-time defending na-tional champion Terps have be-gun to roll, rattling off four consecutive victories including an 18-3 defeat of Harvard on Tuesday.

"We expect a huge game," senior co-captain Stacey Saggese said. "Especially since they haven't had the season they've hoped for, we're expecting them to come out and fight hard."

The Terrapins are stacked with attackers, including last week's co-ACC player of the week, Sonia Judd. The Lions will need to work the clock, slow down Judd and the Terps and dictate the pace of the game if they hope to knock off Maryland.

If Penn State falls behind or gives up several consecutive goals to the explosive Terrapins, it will be key for the Lions to remain focused and refuse to get frustrated.

The problem of losing cadence has hurt Penn State the past couple of games.

"Team chemistry is off a little bit," Saggese said. "We get frustrated if we go down. Sometimes we've lost our competitive edge."

Hartman agreed. "There's been mental lapses," she said. "We get down, and people hang their heads for a minute."

Playing against the potent attacks of Maryland and North Carolina, Penn State must relish its possessions, take care of the ball, and cash in on its chances. Turnovers have killed the Lions as of late. With a defense full of seniors, the Lions have the potential to play some solid team defense. Such security will be a recipe for success this weekend.

"This weekend's huge," head coach Suzanne Isidor said. "We're capable of rising to this challenge. But it's going to take each and every player on the field."