The only certainty about this year's Penn State women's lacrosse season is that it is one of uncertainty.

The No. 16 Nittany Lions proved in their season-opening upset of No. 8 Vanderbilt that in lacrosse, anything can happen. The win allowed the Lions to possibly take control of an evenly matched American Lacrosse Conference.

After finishing 8-9 last season and 4-2 in conference, the Lions still have plenty of work to do, but the upside is bright.

"The most exciting thing is our speed and quickness," Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzanne Isidor said. "We're much faster, our attack is much stronger and we're excited for the fact that we have so much to prove."

Captains Katie Jeschke and Kristin Wood head a remarkably young team that may have the appearance of cubs more so than Lions. Of the 25 roster players, only nine are upperclassmen, and Wood is one of only three seniors.

Nonetheless, Jeschke is excited about the team's talent and potential and welcomes the challenge of leading Penn State to glory this season.

"I'm just so happy to be a captain on this team," she said. "This team is by far the best team that I've ever been a part of. To be a leader and a captain on this team means so much to me."

Jeschke finished second on the team with 32 goals last season and is off on a torrid pace again this season after scoring four goals on five shots against the Commodores. Her offensive surge landed her the ALC Player of the Week. Senior Colleen O'Hara, who chipped in two goals on Saturday, will also be a vital component of the attack. She tallied 46 goals last season.

Most of the experience is at midfield, where Wood leads the unit. She gathered 14 ground balls, caused nine turnovers, and tallied seven draw controls in 2002, and will play a key role in controlling the tempo of each game.

Penn State's season may hinge on whether its freshmen, especially on defense, can step onto the field and immediately contribute.

Two freshmen have already jumped into a starting role, and two are set to come right off the bench, said Isidor.

One of those two starters is Shari Maslin, who made her presence felt by scoring a goal in her first game of the season. Fellow freshman starter Liz Frande was named national rookie of the week by www.womenslacrosse.com.

Maslin said that all of the freshmen have become accustomed to the college game at a very fast pace thus far.

"We actually came in and adjusted pretty quickly," Maslin said. "We've been there for each other adjusting on and off the field and our whole team meshed so well together that it made the freshmen feel comfortable."

That comfort is something many teams take weeks and even a season or two to build, but this year's group has encountered no such trouble, as evident by the team's performance on Saturday.

"The seniors played like seniors and the freshmen didn't play like freshmen," Isidor said. "You wouldn't have been able to tell it was any of their first games; each one of them got out there and did their jobs."

In doing their jobs, the freshmen helped to make up for the loss of 17 players from last season's squad, and wasted no time in doing so.

The only uncertainty left is if this young unit can stay on this pace for the rest of the season.