If there were a time for the Penn State Lady Ruggers to play their most inspired game of rugby, it would be this weekend.

The team travels to Annapolis, Md. this weekend to take part in the MARFU Championships. The Lady Ruggers will take on West Chester Saturday at 2 p.m. with a shot in the title game on the line against either Virginia or Navy. A win for the Lady Ruggers also means more than just a spot in the MARFU championship game on Sunday.

"This is probably the most important game we have had so far," said Penn State coach Pete Steinberg, "Not only does a win get us a home game, but it gives us an easier route to the final four."

While the Lady Ruggers are confident going into the game, a loss would make things difficult for the team on and off the pitch.

"It would not make it impossible, but it would make it a lot harder. We would have to travel to Florida so that would affect our preparation and our budget. Flying to Florida would make flying to the final four financially difficult," said Steinberg.

This week was the polar opposite of last week for the Lady Ruggers, who saw their practice times up in the air and the location of their game in doubt.

The lack of practice leading up to last weeks' match seemed to effect Penn State as they played a sloppy, mistake filled game against James Madison but managed to walk away with a decisive 28-0 victory.

Throughout the week Penn State got plenty of what it lacked last week; practice. That led Steinberg to believe the results will be much different than against James Madison.

"I think that we will be more ready to play. We have had a good week's practice and I am excited to see what we can do against West Chester"

Even if Penn State walks out of this weekend with the championship, Steinberg realizes that it is only a small step toward the team's ultimate goal. He stated that since teams change so differently from year to year that finishing first or second in MARFU wouldn't make much difference in the team's seeding.

That being said, going into this weekend the Lady Ruggers have two things in mind; walking out of this weekend healthy and with a MARFU championship under their belt.

If the team's past history as perennial title contenders is any guide, the Lady Ruggers will be coming back to Penn State as MARFU champions.