F. Hockey dominates Bears, 3-0

For any visiting parents who stopped by to check out their first field hockey game, it didn't take them long to realize which of the two teams doing battle on Franklin Field this weekend was No. 12 in the nation. The Penn field hockey team barely wasted any time in exerting its dominance over an upset-minded Brown team which had already knocked off Ivy rival Princeton. The Quakers (4-0 Ivy League, 9-3 overall) pounced on the Bears (2-2, 6-7) in the first 10 minutes of the contest and before Brown could look up, Penn was in command and well on its way to an easy 3-0 victory. Coupled with a surprising Tiger loss to Harvard, the Quaker win clinched a tie for the Ivy League championship. With a win or a tie in either one of its final two Ivy contests, Penn will be on its way to the NCAA tournament – which snubbed it last year. "I thought we played really well today," junior midfielder Amy Pine said. "We were all a little nervous coming into the game because it was another Ivy game – a must win situation – and we came through." Pine was the first to come through for the Quakers. Capitalizing on its second corner opportunity just 6:20 into the game, junior defender Mandy Kauffman sent the ball to junior defender Rani Bajwa, who stopped it for Pine. The team's leading scorer then blasted a powerful shot by Brown goalkeeper Tara Harrington to give Penn a quick 1-0 lead. Pine took advantage of the Bear defensive alignment on the play (Brown opted not to use a post player) and skillfully placed the ball in the open area of the cage. "That was really important that we got off to a good start," Quaker assistant coach Val Cloud said. "I think it's the first game where we felt really in charge. It took the pressure off to score early and often." It didn't take much longer for senior forward Franny Maguire to add to the Quaker lead. Again taking advantage of Brown's flat defense, with 21:10 remaining in the opening half Maguire was able to create a breakaway. Streaking down the right side of the field, the Penn co-captain got behind the defense and fired a low shot that beat Harrington to the far side to put Penn ahead 2-0. "We did move the ball well and we got the opportunities and we capitalized on a couple," Cloud said. "I think we capitalized on their flat defense too. We were laying some nice through balls in there that got in behind the defense. That's why Franny scored." Offensive intensity led directly to Penn's third goal of the first half. Sophomore forward Amy Shapiro's hustle paid off as she got behind the Brown defense. After she was tripped by Harrington, the Quakers were rewarded with a penalty stroke. Pine knew exactly where to go from there. Scoring for the second time on a penalty stroke this season, the talented junior lifted the ball into the upper right corner of the cage to put Penn ahead 3-0 with 14:40 remaining in the first half. "We should score first just to calm us and that's what we did," Maguire said. "Once we scored we were just like 'We have control now, let's play with intensity and poise and take control of the game.' We were so intense." From there, the defenses took over. Not a single goal was scored in the remaining 40 minutes of the contest as the Quakers coasted to their fourth Ivy victory of the season. Remarkably, the stingy Penn defense anchored by junior goalie Suzy Pures has still not yielded a goal in Ivy play. The Quakers limited Brown to only seven shots on the afternoon, affording Penn the luxury of resting several players and giving the bench the chance to gain some experience. Having established complete control and command of the game, the Quakers were able to spread the ball around and keep it out of the Penn defensive zone. "When we have control, we're able to pass easily," Maguire said. "That's what we had today. We weren't in any rush to get it down the field and go through the defense. We just wanted to work around them and that's what we did." Dominating the Bears may be exactly the kind of performance the Quakers needed to be able to take on the nation's best teams, such as No. 4 Maryland which invades Franklin Field tomorrow night. Penn has shown improvement with each game of the season and the Quakers are preparing to reach their high point. Having already clinched a tie, Penn is a single Ivy victory or tie away from achieving the goals it set before the season began – winning the Ivy League and receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. "We're excited and our confidence is building each game," Pine said. "We're ready to take it."