With a first-round bye in the American Lacrosse Conference tournament and possible NCAA bid on the line, the No. 15 Penn State women's lacrosse team (8-6) desperately needs a win.

After last Friday's last-second 8-9 loss to Ohio State put the Nittany Lions 0-3 in conference play, the team realizes the importance of winning at conference rival Johns Hopkins (8-6) today at 5 p.m.

"You look at this game and realize that it has a direct correlation to where we will be seeded in the tournament," sophomore mid-fielder Kerry Shea said. "Because of that, we have to come out strong and get into a rhythm right away."

The Lions and No. 13 Blue Jays have had similar seasons, both having some of the nation's toughest schedules, yet both have picked up key victories throughout the season against top-20 teams to remain in the hunt for an ALC bye and an NCAA bid.

While the Lions have beaten top-20 teams including North Carolina, Princeton and Delaware, the Blue Jays have also beaten Virginia and Denver.

With a similar overall record and a 1-2 record in conference play, the Blue Jays need to win today.

"We realize that Hopkins wants to win this game just as badly, we just have to want it more and work that much harder to get the win," senior attacker Lindsay Dutch said.

Throughout the week, the Lions have continued to work on shooting the ball at a higher percentage and catching and throwing with more accuracy, both things that plagued them in last Friday's loss to the Buckeyes.

The team has also implemented and practiced using a set offense this week, allowing it to have certain set plays and attack from all different angles.

"While we have made no drastic changes, we have had to redefine our offense since Jessi Lieb's season ending injury to her right foot and work in our younger players," head coach Suzanne Isidor said.

The Lions have also focused on their team defense, realizing that to beat the Blue Jays, their team defense needs to be stronger than it has been all season.

With national points-per-game leader Mary Key leading the way for the Blue Jays with an average of 6.71 goals per game and a steady corps of younger scoring threats, the Lions have to be ready for everything on offense.

While the Blue Jays will challenge the team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, Isidor feels that the team's perseverance will allow them to succeed today.

"One of our greatest strengths as a team is our ability to put the past behind us and focus on the team ahead of us," She said. "We are always ready to play every game and give it everything we have."