Talk about an appropriate ending.

In their final home game at Bigler Field, the three seniors on the Penn State field hockey team have one more chance to rid themselves of the albatross that has haunted the team all season long.

If the No. 19 Nittany Lions (10-8, 3-2 Big Ten) defeat No. 9 Michigan (13-5, 4-1) at 12 p.m. tomorrow, not only would the Lions have their first victory over a fellow ranked opponent this year, but they would also put themselves in a better position for postseason play.

"I think it's huge [to win tomorrow], it would give us a lot of momentum and would be a big confidence builder," coach Char Morett said.

Seniors Amanda Eckert, Karin Grap and Michele Rigby will be playing their final regular season games for the Lions tomorrow.

Eckert and Grap, two of the team's captains, have helped lead the team all year and Rigby is the team's leading scorer.

The Lions have successfully completed one-half of their plan heading into the week.

They defeated Bucknell 4-0 on the road Tuesday night with their eighth shutout of the season, the most for the team since the 2000 season.

But the Lions know that a win tomorrow would be a big plus for their postseason hopes.

"We're really excited, we know that we have to win out and get into the Big Ten tournament with wins," Rigby said prior to the Bucknell victory. "Our best chance of making the NCAA tournament is if we win [the Big Ten tournament]."

It is doubtful that the Lions are looking too far ahead because a win tomorrow will not come easily. The end of a demanding schedule comes with Michigan as the fifth team currently ranked in the top-10 that Penn State will play this year.

Last season the team split its series against the Wolverines. Michigan had a 5-2 victory in the Lions' final regular season game, but Penn State came back to defeat the Wolverines 1-0 in overtime in the Big Ten tournament.

Eckert said that the Lions will come flying out of the gates and establish their style of play quickly against Michigan.

"We need to work on keeping possession of the ball and just playing our game and setting the tone instead of letting the other team set their tone," Eckert said.

"We just need to step up right away and play our game."

Helping the Lions' chances will be the return of defender Molly Schriver to the back end.

Morett expects the captain to be back in the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with an injury she suffered against Duke last week, when an errant ball hit her forehead.

In their final opportunity, perhaps tomorrow is when the Nittany Lions come through with their first top-20 win of the year.

As Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" goes, "The Albatross fell off, and sank / Like lead into the sea."

Morett certainly hopes this is the case.

"It's our field, our last home game and our last time to step up and beat a top-10 team," she said. "We have to find a way to finish the game."