Prior to the season, the goal was to get to the NCAA tournament. Tomorrow in the heart of lacrosse country, the No. 10 Penn State women's lacrosse team can seal that very accomplishment with a victory against No. 11 Johns Hopkins.

The American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) matchup, which will be broadcast live from Baltimore on CSTV at 1 p.m., is a pivotal late-season game for both the Nittany Lions (10-4, 4-1 ALC) and Johns Hopkins (10-4, 3-2).

With No. 1 Northwestern two games from completing an undefeated season and locking up the ALC crown, the Lions and Blue Jays -- unable to secure the automatic NCAA tournament bid that the conference champion receives -- are looking to make the 16-team post-season as at-large selections.

If the Lions win tomorrow and on May 7 at home against Delaware to close the regular season, they will likely receive an invitation to the postseason.

Holding quality wins against then-No. 1 Virginia and Princeton, and having played one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Lions could possibly receive a bid even with a loss in their final two games. But Penn State coach Suzanne Isidor would rather have her team's play put it in the tournament than a judgment call from the selection committee.

"To be safe, we want to be in the top 10," Isidor said. "To control our own destiny, we have to beat Hopkins and Delaware. We win both, we're in. We don't, I don't know what's going to happen."

The Penn State offense, led by seniors Kristen Burke and Emily Chambers who are tied for the team lead in goals with 28. Also pitching in is junior Shari Maslin, named ALC Player of the Week after her six-goal performance in wins last weekend against Ohio State and Ohio University. The Lions will look to continue to score at the 13-goal per game pace they have maintained so far this season. Led by sophomore attack Mary Key, the Hopkins offense averages 11.36 goals per game. Key leads the Blue Jays with 46 goals and 26 assists. The Blue Jay defense is ranked ninth in the nation, allowing 7.57 goals per game.

Penn State has never lost to Hopkins in the three times the programs have met since the creation of the ALC in 2002.

If the Lions can continue that streak tomorrow, they will have a chance to return to the Baltimore area in about a month for this season's Final Four, held 30 miles to the south of Hopkins in Annapolis, Md.