Freshman attack Alexa Hoover has been a sensation in her first year with the Red and Blue, having led the team thus far in the season with six goals.
Credit: Courtesy of Penn AthleticsPenn field hockey’s season has started off with some exciting play, but it promises to bring even more excitement as the team looks toward its first Ivy League game of the season.
The Quakers (2-2) have gotten off to a solid start with two wins against Lehigh and Fairfield and two one-goal losses against Bucknell and Liberty . On Saturday, Penn will look to continue its promising start to the season on the road against Cornell, a team off to its best start to a season since 2010.
Competition between the Big Red (3-1) and the Quakers has always been tight. Six of the last 10 games played between the two teams were decided by only one goal.
The last time the teams met, Penn won, 4-3, at Ellen Vagelos Field . While Cornell managed to tie the score twice, the Quakers controlled the game from start to finish.
Key players in the two teams’ last matchup for Penn were forward Jasmine Cole, — who contributed three goals — and goalkeeper Carly Sokach, who ended with 12 saves, including one on a late penalty stroke that would have tied the game.
The key difference in this year’s game is that Penn no longer has Cole and Sokach on its roster. However, the Quakers are more than prepared to take on the challenge with new freshman attack Alexa Hoover and senior goalkeeper Allison Weisenfels.
Hoover has been a revelation for the Quakers, leading the team with six goals in the first two weeks of the season. In goal, Weisenfels has also performed impressively, playing every minute of Penn’s four games and maintaining a 1.75 goals-against average while saving 20 shots on goal.
Senior attack Emily Corcoran is one of Penn’s hottest hands, contributing greatly to the team this season with five goals so far. Corcoran was a key component to Penn’s offense last year, scoring 13 goals.
While Penn has Hoover — who was just named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second week in a row — the Big Red can respond with junior Marisa Siergiej , who was recently named Ivy League Player of the Week for the second time in her career and has tallied seven goals for Cornell this season. Siergiej is well on pace to set a career high in scoring — her previous high-water mark was 10 goals in 2013.
It remains to be seen how Penn’s fresh faces will respond to the challenge against the Big Red, but one thing is certain: This is where the season really begins.
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