F. Hockey thrashes Fightin Hens, 4-0

For those who doubted that the No. 13 Penn field hockey team was for real, last night's 4-0 victory over Delaware on a wet and slippery Franklin Field provided a glimpse of the astonishing potential of this 2-0 Quaker team. Penn played almost the entire game past midfield, and spent enough time in the penalty circle to draw eight corners to the Blue Hens' three. In addition, the Quaker attack mounted 18 shots to Delaware's three, and held the Blue Hens to one second-half shot despite a flurry of activity in the Quaker zone early in the period. All in all, it was an inspiring exhibition of field hockey. "We're a very capable team and I think they just took it into another gear," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "It's team play and we're still developing. I really have high expectations. They have the ability to control a game and make it look easy. It was enjoyable to watch." The Quakers drew first blood when sophomore forward Kara Philbin tapped in a cross from junior midfielder Amy Pine with 21 minutes to play in the first period. This goal set the tone for the game, as the Delaware defense was unable to match the Penn forwards in terms of speed or stick handling. "Amy carried it down the field, pulled her defenders and then passed it right across," Philbin said. "I just had to tap it in. She set it all up." Penn worked quickly to add to that lead. Less than a minute later, senior forward and co-captain Franny Maguire found the back of the cage when she got past Delaware goalie Kim Lockbaum with a twisting backhand shot. Despite a 6-1 penalty corner advantage at the half, Penn failed to capitalize on a corner until 10 minutes into the second half when Pine flicked a touch shot over the heads of the onrushing Lockbaum and two other defenders into the cage to give the Quakers a 3-0 lead. Junior defenders Mandy Kauffman and Rani Bajwa earned assists for their push and stop, respectively. And for Pine, it was her third goal in the last two games. The Quakers added the finishing touch when Philbin struck again with another tip-in. This time, she was stationed at the left post as Pine let loose with a one-timer from just outside the circle. The shot flew right at Philbin and she deftly deflected it behind Lockbaum. Those kinds of opportunities came often for the Quakers, who utilized sharp passing effectively and communicated extremely well. "That's what we want to try to do, just control and have possession of the ball," Maguire said. "It doesn't matter if we use back passes or through passes as long as we have control of the game. That's what we're working on. We were ahead so we just wanted to have control and pass it around and use up the clock as much as we can." In addition, the Quakers, especially Maguire, were able to use the right side of the field almost at will. Maguire utilized her speed on a number of occasions to fly past Delaware defenders along the sideline. Effective pressure along the right side is key because it is the defense's backhand side. "We want to work the ball up the right side especially on the offensive end because it's easier for us because it's their non-stick side," Maguire said. "That's our goal, to bring it up the right side of the field on our offensive end. We work on that at practice, we work on the cross balls, and we work on Amy [Pine] and Kara [Philbin] trying to get the tip-ins to me." With all this to build on, it's no wonder that Sage is confident in her team's abilities. "We have a lot to work on but I think you have to applaud team play," Sage said. "You have to applaud the scoring aspect and the balance that we have along with the maturity." · The Quakers will attempt to build on their heretofore undefeated season Sunday against 1-2 William and Mary (1 p.m., Franklin Field). "That's always going to be a big game," Sage said. "It's a cross-regional rivalry and a lot of Philadelphia players are on the team. William and Mary's a good solid team."