Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzanne Isidor and two of her captains, Jackie Sherman and Katie Jeschke, sat side by side, ready to answer questions from the media.

It was the annual preseason press conference in late February, and Isidor called this year's team the best she has had in her four years at Penn State. Sherman and Jeschke, two of the team's three seniors, spoke confidently about this being the year that the Nittany Lions would make the NCAA tournament and make a run at a national championship.

The pollsters didn't disagree and Penn State was ranked 10th in the country in the IWLCA preseason poll.

Now, almost two months later, the seniors are preparing for the final five games of their careers as Penn State sits at 3-9 on the season and 1-2 in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC). One of the main reasons for the Lions' preseason excitement was that, for the first time ever, the winner of the ALC this season would receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Barring a near miracle, that team will not be Penn State.

"After the game was definitely one of the worst feelings," Isidor said about the team's second ALC loss, to Northwestern, on Saturday. "It might have taken until practice to realize we have to prepare for Georgetown and can't worry about the past."

Before the season, Isidor said that this season would be extra special because the current crop of seniors is the first group she has coached for all four years at Penn State. Now, the group of six seniors will look to gain something from what can only be described as a disappointing season.

"I'm most disappointed for them," Isidor said. "I wanted the team to see the rewards. They've worked hard all year and it's been hard for me to see this happen."

Because of injuries, this season has been especially frustrating for Jeschke and Sherman. Jeschke missed four games after the team's first game against Vanderbilt.

When Jeschke returned against Princeton, it was Sherman on the sidelines, as she missed six games with a lower back injury. Saturday's loss to Northwestern was just the second time all year that the two seniors have been on the field together.

"It's definitely been bad timing," Jeschke said. "The team looks to the captains and we felt we had a job to fulfill."

Jeschke said that the season has been especially frustrating because of the way the Lions have lost their games.

Of the nine losses, five have come by two goals or less. The Lions have shown flashes of brilliance against some of the top teams in the country, but mental lapses have allowed Penn State's opponents to mount big runs and put the Lions away.

However, Jeschke said that motivation is not an issue as the season winds down and as the seniors get ready to put on a Penn State uniform just five more times.

"We only have five games left and there's no way we want to go out on a bad note," she said.