The fifth-ranked Arizona men's club lacrosse team travels to California tomorrow for a game with No. 4 Chapman that could be a preview of this year's Western Collegiate Lacrosse League playoffs.

There are seven teams in the W.C.L.L.'s Southern Division, and of those, only the top four go to the playoffs. It is important to be seeded No. 1 because that team plays its first-round game at home.

"These are the games that we give up blood, sweat and tears to win," said UA lacrosse coach Mickey-Miles Felton. "It is games like this that the Laxcats work so hard for."

The Panthers had two huge wins last week over top-ranked California and No. 3 UC-Santa Barbara.

The Panthers rely on Scott Petersen for much of their offense, but Felton was confident defender A.J. Irland would be able to control him.

"Irland will give him a long day," Felton said.

Arizona (2-0) has the advantage in that if one key player, such as Josh Sfara, were to be shut down, another Laxcat like David Wilner would step up, Felton said.

"This is a must-win game, but the team is very confident, and the emotions are very high," Felton said.

In 1993, Arizona beat Chapman 32-1. Last year, Arizona fell to the Panthers 12-10.

Chapman was not ranked in the top 10 in the W.C.L.L. last season, but went to the final four of the league tournament and lost in the semifinals. Chapman goalie Matt White was the most valuable player of the tournament.

"We will be prepared to play, and no matter what the result is, we will walk off the field with no excuses," Felton said.

Arizona will also face UCLA (2-2) on Sunday. They shouldn't give the Laxcats much trouble, but Arizona can't afford to relax against the Bruins, Felton said.

"This is still a division game at their home, and anything could happen," Felton said.

In his 21 years as head coach at Arizona, Felton has never lost to the Bruins.