F. Hockey begins its quest for second Ivy League title

Let the defense begin. After opening up the season with an impressive 3-1 out-of-conference record, the Penn field hockey team begins its quest for a second consecutive Ivy League Championship when it battles an unproven Dartmouth squad Sunday at noon at Franklin Field. The Quakers come into Sunday's game riding high on emotion. Penn knows that if it can successfully defend its Ivy title, the Quakers will receive the much anticipated NCAA berth that eluded them last season. Penn's confidence is also bolstered by early season victories against two nationally-ranked teams, most recently Wednesday against 19th-ranked Lafayette. "I think we feel really ready," senior co-captain Missy Hecht said. "It's our first Ivy League game and it means a lot this year especially with the NCAA bid." "We're really confident," senior co-captain Franny Maguire said. "We've had a lot of practice with these other teams. We've been looking forward to this for a long time." Having captured six Ivy championships and posted an incredible 56-17-11 Ivy League record in her 22-year stint as the Quaker coach, Anne Sage is no stranger to winning Ivy games. Sage knows, however, that everybody including the Big Green (1-3) will be gunning to knock off the Quakers. "I think we have been the perennial Ivy League powerhouse," Sage said. "They're coming in to be the spoilers and we have to watch out to make sure it doesn't happen. Ivy League competition is very keen. It's nothing to be taken for granted. I think it's very, very special." A major reason why Penn won't be able to take Dartmouth for granted is that the Big Green are now under the leadership of new coach Julie Dayton. Dayton, who led 10th-ranked Virginia to a 15-6-1 record in her first year as a head coach last year, is bringing a change of attitude to Dartmouth in an attempt to revive a bunch that posted a 2-4 Ivy record last year. "I want the team in general to approach the season with a positive attitude," Dayton said. "By raising the expectations within the program we can raise the level of what our players expect from themselves. It's always challenging to encourage student-athletes to reach their potential and push them beyond their limits." The Big Green's strength is clearly on defense, as opponents were only able to notch 16 goals in 1992. Leading the way is sophomore goalie Lauren Demski, who returns for her second season between the pipes. As a freshman, Demski established three Dartmouth school records, including saves in a game (36), saves in a season (172) and shutouts (8). Despite these impressive credentials, the Quakers were able to get to Demski last year for four goals on their way to a 4-3 victory. The Penn attack which has plastered opposing goalies for 38 shots in the past two games must continue to apply this relentless pressure if it hopes to humble Demski and the Big Green defense again. The Quakers must do a better job of capitalizing on their opportunities, however, as only two of those 38 shots landed in the back of the cage. Penn will also try to improve on converting its corner opportunities as the Ivy season begins. "If we're in sync as a team, and we get the ball moving down the field, we'll get a lot of opportunities to score off the field," junior midfielder Amy Pine said. "When we're not in sync, we have to rely on corners, so it all depends on how we're working together as a team. Hopefully, we'll all play in sync and we can score a lot more off the field." Working together and communicating is also a key aspect upon which the Quaker defense is working on. Penn will attempt to eliminate the defensive mistakes that have given Quaker opponents the chance to win games in which they have been thoroughly outplayed. "I think our defense right now has to settle down and communicate with each other a little bit more," Sage said. "I think what has happened is that we have dominated games and then we've panicked and all of a sudden there's a breakaway. We have to be able to handle that with more consistency. We have to function as a team." Team play is exactly what it is going to take for the Quakers to defend their crown. If Penn continues to work together the goals will come, the defense will solidify, and the Quakers hope to be well on their way to the NCAA tournament. "I think we're going into league play now and we have a keen desire to repeat as champions," Sage said. "This is just the first testing match along the way." Let the defense begin.