The Penn State men’s rugby team (3-1) feels that it has not reached its potential.

Well, it can begin reaching for that potential when it goes up against the University of Loyola this weekend at the Flower Gardens Fields, next to East Halls. Kickoff time is noon.

For the third match in a row, the Ruggers will be without influential forwards Michael McGeachy and Tim Fuhrmeister. The Ruggers have managed to cope with the loss of these two key players because of the depth they have in their A side.

Two weeks after a shocking loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes 58-12, the Ruggers feel that they have to send a message to their opponents.

“We need to prove that we are up there with that caliber of team” said center Brian Sherman, referring to teams such as rugby powerhouses Navy and Army.

Last weekend the Ruggers had a relatively easy win against the University of Maryland Terrapins, but the Ruggers know that Loyola will be a much tougher game.

In practice the Ruggers worked on communicating among themselves and different situations that they expect to face against Loyola.

The Ruggers especially worked on their aggressiveness, which has been something that they have been working on all season.

It would seem that the players would be a little tired of doing the same thing in practice.

“If that is what is hurting us, then that’s what we need to work on practice,” forward Alex Johnson said.

One new aspect the team wanted to work on was their conditioning, which was something they felt was a problem against the Terrapins.

“We depend on our quickness and energy in the last few minutes of the game,” Johnson said.

The team knows that they could not have any more slipups if it hopes to achieve its goal of winning a National Championship.

Forward Brent Ilgen said that every win would boost the team’s confidence as the Ruggers prepare for some tough games in the upcoming weeks.