SEASON PREVIEW: Field Hockey aims for repeat

Quakers vie for NCAA berth and LUKE DeCOCK Apparently, the Penn field hockey team picked the wrong year to win the Ivy League title. After taking the crown last year, it was controversially denied a bid to the NCAA tournament when unranked California was given the final spot in the 12-team field. Circumstances are different this year, as a long-overdue rule change awards the Ivy champion an automatic bid. And the Quakers (5-0-1 Ivy League, 10-4-1 overall) feel fully prepared to defend their title with all but two starters returning, including three first-team all-Ivy selections – senior co-captains Missy Hecht and Fran Maguire, and junior Amy Pine, the team's leading scorer. Normally reserved coach Anne Sage is not hesitant to expound the virtues of this year's squad, which despite having only two seniors considers itself very battle-tested. "Last year we weren't expected to win, and we did, so it was kind of a pleasant surprise," Sage said. "This year I think there's a very strong mission to repeat as Ivy champions. My comment with this group is 'watch out'. They have tremendous potential. We have balance, we have experience. It's very refreshing to know what we have already as opposed to going into games and experimenting." There will be no experimenting with the makeup of the team this year. A majority of the starters are returning, including an all-Ivy selection at each of the field positions. "We've all worked together in the past and we've only lost three players from last year," Maguire said. "Missy and I are both seniors and Amy and Mandy [Kauffman] have been playing on the varsity for three years and we're all used to each other." While that rapport may come easily to the returning players, the veterans are making an effort to extend that to the entire team. "The upperclassmen are trying to make the team a whole," junior goalie Suzy Pures said. "No cliques, no little groups, nothing – just a team, all together. We're doing really well with that. Everybody gets along with everybody. There's no difference between senior and freshman. That will help to keep the team together." In addition to that cohesiveness, the team has a strong motivator in the memory of the NCAA fiasco. The NCAA's decision to invite unranked California while bypassing Penn and a number of more deserving Eastern teams was a stinging blow to the Quakers and a disappointing end to a previously successful season. A reoccurrence of that situation was prevented by the addition of an automatic bid for the Ivy League. "[The bid situation] gives us an extra incentive to win the Ivy title," Pures said. "We really felt cheated last year. We thought we deserved to be in the tournament. It's like an extra little push." Pures, a three-year starter, was third among goalkeepers in Ivy play with a 0.99 goals against average. Making that possible was a very strong and experienced defense in front of Pures. That group is once again anchored by Hecht and includes talented juniors Kauffman and Rani Bajwa. This quartet yielded less than a goal per Ivy game last season. "The defense is coming together very well," Pures said. "We're marking inside the circle very well. Our communication on the field is very good, and I think that all goes back to our being friends and being very comfortable with one another." At the other end of the field, midfielder Pine led the Ivy League with six points in league games. She finished second in the Ivy League overall with 15 points on 10 goals and five assists in addition to being named Ivy Player of the Week twice. Sophomore forward Kara Philbin's five goals were the most in league play and earned her one Ivy Player of the Week award and two Rookie of the Week awards. Maguire (one goal, three assists) joins Philbin up front. Junior Lily Ma and sophomore Sue Quinn (five points) round out the midfield. These players will have to match or improve last year's play because the schedule isn't getting any easier. The Quakers, who finished last season ranked 13th, face five nationally-ranked foes in addition to the grueling Ivy conference schedule. "We're playing a lot of ranked teams," Sage said. "Anytime you play a ranked, scholarship team, your work is cut out for you." Penn opens the season at home Tuesday against 16th-ranked Villanova, who spoiled last year's opener with a 2-1 victory over the Quakers. Delaware, William and Mary, 14th-ranked Lafayette, and Ivy rival Dartmouth complete a 12-day residency in venerable Franklin Field. A trip to mighty Ursinus begins a six-game road trip that spans three weeks and features contests with No. 5 Penn State and No. 10 Temple. The Quakers return home to face sixth-ranked Maryland and travel to Yale before a season ending skirmish at home against archrival Princeton, the most serious threat to the Quakers' defense of the Ivy championship and resulting NCAA berth. While the Tigers (4-1-1) are always dangerous, Penn feels confident that with all of its experience and talent there is no reason why the Ivy title should not belong to the Quakers for the second consecutive year. "We're in good shape," Sage said. "We have a lot of stability, a lot of experience and along with that a desire to succeed – a desire to repeat. It's a fun group. I think they're very self-motivated as a group. They want to complete the mission of back-to-back Ivy titles and getting a bid. I think they're very focused." Co-captain Maguire echoes Sage's sentiments. "We're really psyched. Everyone has a really positive attitude going into the season, which is great. Everyone's out here every day working hard. We're going to take it one game at a time and hopefully we'll make it."

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