Karen Long can't wait for Feb. 18.

She and her women's lacrosse teammates have been looking forward to that date since the end of a promising fall season, and the goal for the upcoming year is to continue their path toward the NCAA tournament.

Penn State head coach Suzanne Isidor was not content with the Nittany Lions' 8-8 finish a year ago. She sees tremendous potential in the current squad, which will enter the season ranked No. 14, and is confident that success is in the near future.

"Last year was disappointing," Isidor said. "We definitely did not attain our goals. We have a great group of returnees and good leadership on the squad. I think nothing less than making the tournament and then advancing in the tournament would be meeting our goals for the season."

On Sunday, Penn State will begin its season with an exhibition game against Cornell. The following Saturday, the Lions will serve as host to Delaware in their first of 15 regular season games.

The 2007 schedule is littered with difficult games, as Penn State will face nine teams ranked in the top 20, including two-time defending national champion Northwestern.

"We're used to that, but what we need to do is stay focused each day," Isidor said. "We know we're playing the top teams and part of that is to help prepare for the tournament when we're playing these teams again. It's a challenge, but that's the way we like it."

Long and Lindsay Dutch are expected to thrive on the attack, while fellow seniors Renee Cipro and Jenn Green will anchor the defense. At midfield, All-America junior Jessi Lieb returns to join senior Joanie Plake and freshman Maria Valderas.

Isidor said that Valderas and Mary Lenoir are two freshmen that could have a strong impact on the Lions' season.

The leadership, though will come from tri-captains Long, Cipro and Plake.

"Coming into the offseason and preseason, we decided to lead by setting good examples and hope that the younger players follow in our footsteps," Long said. "I think it has paid off. The chemistry we have on and off the field will be a huge benefit this year."

Long, Dutch and Cipro have been building team chemistry for an especially long time, as they've played together since eighth grade. When Long and Dutch share the field on attack, they always seem to know where to find each other.

"It really pays off on the field when you know the different tendencies of different players," Long said. "Especially on attack when you know what your teammates are doing."

Penn State hopes not only to perform well as a team, but to do so every game. Letdowns have plagued the team in the past, and Isidor and her players know that they will need to avoid bad games in order to make it into the NCAA Tournament.

"We've been kind of inconsistent in the past," Cipro said.

"Getting back into the tournament and advancing would be huge for our program."