Five chances have resulted in five losses.

When the Penn State women's lacrosse team (6-5, 3-0 American Lacrosse Conference) hosts Pennsylvania (5-7) at 5 p.m. today at Bigler Athletic Complex, it will be the sixth chance the Nittany Lions have had to win back-to-back games this season.

With the season winding down, the Lions know they have to start playing better and more consistently if they are going to play beyond the regular season.

"The chemistry is great right now," Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzanne Isidor said. "We're working well as a team, everybody is stepping up."

Getting up for this intrastate rivalry game should not be very difficult for the Lions, who are finally playing a game in the comforts of home. This will be just their second home contest in over a month.

"It's taken us a few games to get used to one another," senior Colleen O'Hara said. "Now we feel comfortable in our teammates, and we're trusting each other."

The one unit that has been on the same page all season has been the Lions' attack, which has scored fewer than nine goals just once all season.

O'Hara leads the team with 24 goals and 39 points.

"The last four games we have been able to score and control the ball," Isidor said.

"Colleen O'Hara's really stepped up to play, and has gotten her teammates involved.

The Lions' defense has been slightly slower in coming along this season, but surrendered just four goals in its last outing, a season low.

A big edge the Lions have this afternoon is the fact that Penn just played on Saturday.

The Lions, on the other hand, have not played since last Monday and should be well rested after a few days off from practice last week.

Rested and seemingly on the same page, the Lions can turn their collective attention toward going on a late-season run, which they hope will propel them into a berth in the NCAA tournament. Winning the conference would not guarantee the Lions a bid because the conference is only in its second year of existence.

Isidor said she is not sure whom the committee is going to select.

What the Lions do know is that they must get hot down the stretch or the season is going to end sooner rather than later, and winning two games in a row would be a good staring point.