Sometimes, a little bit of home is all you need to get back on track.

After losing for the first time since August, the No. 8 Penn State field hockey team is looking for a home crowd to propel its success when it takes on No. 5 North Carolina at 5 p.m. today at AstroTurf Field.

The team, who turned its regular Tuesday run into a marketing campaign by handing out flyers in front of the HUB-Robeson Center for today's game, knows a strong crowd can give it the extra boost of confidence.

"It's a great advantage," head coach Char Morett said. "Whenever it's a football weekend, there is an extra air of enthusiasm around campus, so that helps those guys get pumped up."

These Nittany Lions might need all the support they can get. Last Sunday, they lost in overtime to No. 7 Ohio State. A lack of consistent play by the Lions had them playing catch-up the entire game. With this loss, the team's hope for a repeat Big Ten title is now up in the air.

With a win today, however, Penn State would move back into the race. A win against North Carolina, a strong ACC team, would give the Lions an extra push in seeding for the NCAA tournament, sophomore Allison Scola said.

In the Lions' last home game, they soundly defeated No. 20 Michigan, 4-0. Morett called it the best game they had played all year, complimenting the team on the excellent play of the defense. Against Ohio State on Sun-

day, however, the defense did not play exceptionally well and the team has had the week to spend time improving on defense.

"The key for us to win is breaking down defense," Scola said. "They do a lot of stick work, so we need to do a lot of stick work and make sure we don't get turned."

Both Penn State and North Carolina have inexperienced goalies that have stepped into their roles this year, becoming steady defenders. Sophomore Jen Beaumont already has six shutouts this year and is No. 10 in the NCAA in goals against, with a 1.14 average.

UNC's goalie, freshman Brianna O'Donnell, is slightly better statistically, ranking third in both goals against average and save percentage. Despite her numbers, however, Morett is hoping the offense will exploit her youth.

"One of our greatest strengths is to play good defense and counter attacks," Morett said. "We have the opportunities to score from the field with the forwards and the middies that we have so I would like to see us create some sort of counter attack and put the pressure on their goalie."

After today, the Lions will play four straight Big Ten opponents to cap off the season. Since the team is sitting at third in the current Big Ten standings, today's game is a must win if it wishes to stay competitive.

"[With] the five games that are left on the schedule, I don't think we can take anyone for granted or look past any game," Morett said. "Our preparation this week, hopefully, will put us in the right frame of mind to play."