With assistant coach Jim Mathias roaming the sidelines, the Lady Ruggers took to the pitch Saturday night and defeated Pitt, 20-5.

Penn State controlled much of the action early in the game in Holuba Hall, pinning Pitt deep in its own territory. The Lady Ruggers took advantage of this positioning to open up a slight lead.

Mathias, who took over for head coach Pete Steinberg, who was stuck in San Diego because of a delayed flight home after working with Team USA, credits this control of the early portion of the game to the scrappy group of forwards who overwhelmed their Pitt counterparts.

"We controlled the game because we had a group of forwards that was willing to do what it took to get the ball. They got it out to the backs and that was the key to controlling the game," Mathias said.

It was clear that the long layoff between games had affected the Lady Ruggers, with the team looking sluggish at times and slightly out of game shape. Pitt was able to go off on some long breaks because of defensive lapses and some fundamental miscues by the Lady Ruggers.

Too many times throughout the game, Penn State found itself running east to west instead of attacking north and south.

"In this particular game we ran sideways too much, we ended up attacking the sidelines opposed to the goal line," Mathias said.

Mathias was quick to add however, that this game was more about adding depth, and more importantly getting the players out on the field to get some experience at game speed more than anything else saying that when you look at it from that standpoint it was "very successful."

Even with the defensive problems and fundamental errors, the Lady Ruggers took it to Pitt throughout the game and still found a way to come away with the victory, even if it was in a friendly match, without any implications for Penn State's record.

Although this may have been Penn State's first competition in more than three months, the coaching staff is aiming at the annual tour of England over the break to get the team re-accustomed to game speed and getting back in game shape. The coaching staff is also looking forward to getting the full attention of the team and the high-quality opponents that will challenge the Lady Ruggers at every turn. The staff is targeting the top 20 to 25 players, working in units to get them ready for the stretch run for a national championship.

Mathias is hoping to really work with the young group of forwards who are taking over for an experienced bunch that recently graduated. The team feels that the forward play will be vital toward the Lady Ruggers hoisting a title at season's end.

The Lady Ruggers only have one set of weekend practices before the break and their tour of Wales, England. The team's next action on the home pitch will be the MARFU quarterfinals March 24, at East fields.