Saturday's game epitomized the season for the No. 18 Penn State (2-8) women's lacrosse team.

It was another one-goal loss to a top-tier school, No. 4 Loyola (11-1), that was the result of a slow start and a tank that ran empty of goals.

The results were heartbreakingly the same, but there was a change in the equation. Led by a determined group of upperclassmen, the Nittany Lions played as hard as they had all season.

A 7-3 halftime deficit was swiftly erased 10 minutes into the second half when junior Kristen Burke took senior Katie Jeschke's pass and put it in the back of the net. All day long it was the juniors and seniors that made big plays.

They really didn't have much of a choice.

"I had a conversation with the juniors and seniors earlier this week," Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzanne Isidor said. "With all the experience we have, we needed the senior leadership and they all stepped up and led this team."

Indeed, they did step up. On offense Jeschke's aggressive play translated to two goals and two assists. Right beside her, it was senior Stephanie Curnoles with two goals and one assist.

"It's an honor to have your teammates look to you and your coaches to look to you," Curnoles said. "This is what we play for: having the pressure of being a leader on the team and making things happen."

In goal, junior Lee Tortorelli played another fine game with 14 saves.

Loyola's attacking offense fired a season-high 33 shots on net, but Tortorelli turned away the Greyhounds on possession after possession and kept Penn State close.

"You can't shoot low. No more low shots," Loyola coach Kerri Johnson told her team on the sideline. "Tell everyone out there."

However, the next two shots were down, right where Tortorelli wanted them. It took Loyola nearly 20 minutes to score its second goal of the half.

Jaclyn Borrone's goal with 5:54 remaining was high and just past Tortorelli's shoulder and put Loyola ahead for good.

The Greyhounds finally got their shots, but none of them came easy.

"It's nice to have the pressure on your shoulders," Jeschke said.

"I feel honored to be a senior on this team and it's honoring for Suzanne to say, 'Seniors, this is on you guys. You're the leaders.' It wasn't just one person, it was all the upperclassmen."

Maybe it was the upperclassmen carrying an extra load on their shoulders Saturday that made the goal look that much smaller.