F. Hockey pre. Maryland: F. Hockey to battle Terps

Tonight's game is not going to be a typical one for junior defender Mandy Kauffman and the Penn field hockey team. Kauffman will have to engage in direct battle with her younger sister, a sophomore forward for No. 4 Maryland. Making matters even more difficult is that the younger Kauffman lines up on the left side of the Terrapin attack. This means that the defender responsible for her will be older sister Mandy, who anchors the right side of the Penn defense. This kind of head-to-head confrontation should make for some interesting gossip at upcoming family get-togethers. "It's going to be weird," Penn's Kauffman said. "She's a really tough player. We've played together a lot on the same teams, but we really haven't gone head to head. I just have to look at it as if she's another player. It's going to be neat. The whole family is going." The Quakers (9-3) will have their hands full if they hope to upset one of the nation's top four teams and a perennial Final Four contender. Maryland (13-2), which defeated Penn 5-0 at College Park last season, has already recorded victories over national contenders Old Dominion, Iowa and North Carolina. It is going to take a total team effort for the No. 12 Quakers to crack the Terps' shells when Maryland ventures into Franklin Field tonight (7:30 p.m.). However, Penn feels confident that it has been consistently improving all season and that the experience gained from playing top teams such as Penn State and Temple should be to its benefit. "It's kind of exciting to accept the challenge to play top teams like Penn State and Maryland," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "They're a high profile team. Against Penn State, we just took it to them. We have nothing to lose." This carefree attitude of the Quakers can be dangerous for the Terps. Instead of playing the role of favorite as it has become so accustomed to, the Quakers will get to experience being underdogs against Maryland. Penn feels that this can also work to its advantage. "We have another opportunity to play a real strong team and upset them and move up in the rankings," Kauffman said. "When we play teams like that we tend to play up to their level. We can definitely play with the top teams." If the Quakers hope to pull off the upset, they are going to have to find a way to shut down the potent Terrapin attack. Junior goalie Suzy Pures and the defense have been up to this task all season long, having already recorded nine shutouts in 12 games. A key to keeping Maryland off the scoreboard will be limiting the number of corner chances the Terps receive. "We can't give them that many corners, because they will capitalize on them," sophomore forward Kara Philbin said. "Hopefully, we can play good defense on them. I think everyone will be ready." Defensively, the Terps are also a very tough team. The Maryland defense has consistently stymied opponents and is a key reason for the Terrapins' 13-2 record. Maryland will attempt to force the action tonight and make the Quaker attackers get rid of the ball quickly. Sharp passing will be crucial if Penn hopes to make turtle soup of the Maryland defense. "They're a very aggressive team," Kauffman said. "They won't let you hold the ball. We have to use the passing and keep them spread out wide. If we dribble down the middle, they're going to stop it." Another key for the Quakers is getting off to a good start. An early advantage could create a little fear for the Terapins who have not had to come from behind the majority of the season. Additionally, with a quick goal Penn could also help to increase its own confidence and improve its overall level of play. "If we get off to a good start, then we're capable," Sage said. "We have a lot of pride right now. We're prepared. You just have to execute under pressure. There's going to be a lot of pressure tomorrow night." Regardless of the pressure that is generated when two nationally ranked teams collide, the Quakers feel that most of this pressure will be on Maryland's shoulders. Penn knows that it is not expected to win this contest and this will allow the Quakers to simply go out and have fun. On the other side of the ball, the Terps must be weary of an upset. "We'll probably go into this game really relaxed and try to play our best game," Philbin said. "We keep improving, so hopefully this will help us improve our game even more. Hopefully, we'll play them very competitively." Penn should be more than capable of doing this. The Quakers are only a win or a tie away from clinching a bid to the NCAA tournament themselves. Tonight's game should serve as a good tuneup for Penn's final two regular season games against Yale and Princeton, and whatever contests may lie beyond that. Given the Quakers' impressive credentials, it is not likely that Maryland will simply overlook them. "You're at the point where you're 12th in the country and you're vying for another Ivy title," Sage said. "We have to play safe, smart hockey. We've had our adversity with five-straight away games. We're playing on turf [tonight], and we're playing on our home field. We're trying to upset them."