Maybe there is something in the water or maybe it's the town itself, but Philadelphia has been kind to the women's lacrosse team in the recent past and once already this season.

The Lions will go on the road to face Penn tonight at 7. The last time the No. 13 Lions (5-5) went to Philadelphia this season, they were trying to get above .500. They were successful in that attempt, beating Temple 9-6.

This time, they will face the No. 20 Quakers (6-4) to try to beat them for the third consecutive year.

Penn State is coming off an all-around solid performance Sunday, beating Loyola (Md.) for its 400th win in program history, and will be looking to keep its momentum.

"We're really focusing on the things that worked and keeping them going," Penn State coach Suzanne Isidor said.

The Lions were able to shoot the ball better against Loyola and played much better than they had all season long.

Penn is one of two opponents left on Penn State's schedule that isn't in the American Lacrosse Conference. Every win the Lions can gather before heading into the rest of their conference slate is going to help them make it back to the NCAA tournament.

The immediate goal is to win the conference, and beating Penn would give the Lions a great start to that goal.

"We definitely dug ourselves in a hole early in the season," Isidor said. "Every game is crucial."

Seniors Lori Havrilla, Shari Maslin and sophomore Jessi Lieb continue to lead the Lions in scoring. Maslin has 24 goals, and Havrilla and Lieb have 21 goals apiece. Goalie Cammie Jurkowsky put together the best game of her short career against Loyola.

A pair of sophomores, Rachel Manson and Melissa Lehman, lead the Quakers. Manson is tops in points with 26, including 17 goals. Lehman leads the team with 18 goals and 20 points. Lehman scored four goals on four shots in Penn's last game out against Columbia.

"Penn has a lot of speed and experience and they are playing really well right now," Isidor said. "Our team defense is going to be crucial."

The offense will be, too, as Penn's two goalies have combined this season to give up only 8.81 goals a game. It will also be an opportunity for the Lions to put together consecutive wins since they began the season 3-0.