A decisive blow to its self-esteem and a short rest was a blessing rather than a curse for the No. 15 Penn State women's lacrosse team.

The team regrouped after losing badly to No. 7 Virginia on Saturday and, with only two days rest and one day of practice, came together yesterday afternoon to beat the Temple Owls, 9-6 in Philadelphia.

The Nittany Lions (4-3), who have won all their road games this season, started the game off strong, scoring three goals within the first seven minutes.

This was a totally different start than the last game when the Cavaliers scored the first six goals.

"We got off to a quick start and it was the kind of start we've been looking for," Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzzane Isidor said.

The quick start was all the Lions needed and they stayed ahead the entire game. The Owl's scored three quick goals in the second half and almost mounted a comeback. However, two clutch goals by junior Linsday Dutch and senior Shari Maslin solidified the much needed win for the Lions.

After Saturday's game, the flaws on both the offense and defense of Penn State's game plan were evident. By watching film both separate and together, the offense and defense cleaned up their problems and worked as a unit.

"Our movement on attack was a lot better and defensively we made a lot of great stops," Isidor said.

Junior Cammie Jurkowsky was given another chance in goal and did not take it for granted. Isidor said she had one of her best games all season, stopping a lot of shots. She played the entire game, making nine saves and only allowing six goals.

Maslin was the most potent attacker on the field. She scored four goals, had two ground balls, caused one turnover and finished with four points. Senior Lori Havrilla also helped the team by scoring three goals.

"We played very well. We made some adjustments from the last three games," Maslin said. "We had a practice before the game and it resulted in a win."

The Lions had 24 shots, which was five more than the previous game and had 23 ground balls. However, they turned the ball over 18 times, a number that Isidor would like to be lower.

Penn State also changed up its lineup a little, starting junior Jenn Green on defense and freshman Brittany Jensen in the midfield. Freshman Megan McGuire, who scored a goal against Virginia, also saw playing time and was key in the win.

The Lions look to feed off this win and continue on the path of success this weekend. They will only have one day of practice before they have to leave for two games in College Park, Md., against No. 8 Maryland and No. 5 North Carolina.

"We're just gonna keep focusing on our team attack and our team defense and being on the same page," Isidor said.