Field Hockey result vs. Maryland: F. Hockey can't handle Maryland

"Apples and oranges" is how Penn field hockey coach Anne Sage described the difference between her team and the No. 4 Maryland squad that dominated her Quakers 4-0 last night at Franklin Field. Twelfth-ranked Penn (9-4) earned only one corner and could not even manage a shot against the Terrapins (15-2). Conversely, Maryland earned 15 corners and mounted 11 shots against Quaker junior goalie Suzy Pures. "It was a little frustrating, but you're playing the fourth team in the nation," Pures said. "You have to expect stuff like that." "Stuff like that" includes Maryland taking only 10 minutes to strike first. Midfielder Laura Harmon passed the ball into a crowd in the circle where forward Amy Schubert came up with it on the left side and fired it past Pures into the right corner of the cage. Maryland scored one more goal in the first half on a penalty corner, but for the Quakers the strong point of their game was without a doubt their penalty corner defense. Despite the Terrapins' 15 corners, they only scored on one. Key to this defensive showing was junior defender Mandy Kauffman. "They had 15 corners and Mandy was out there ready to break them up on all of them," Pures said. "Granted, at the same time their corner people weren't looking so hot. But defensively, we were ready to handle them." The Maryland goal came on the eighth corner. Sabrina Salam pushed it out to midfielder Josephine Blauw, who deftly tapped it back. Salam slid it past Pures for the Terrapins' second goal. Maryland tried the same play again on their next corner, but by then the Quakers had adjusted. "[Sophomore defender] Sue Quinn was ready to pick up [the pusher]," Pures said. "They switched to the other side [at halftime] and that threw us for a loop. So we just adjusted and tried to play them as best we could." Maryland added two insurance goals in the second half. The first came just over five minutes into the period. Harmon scored on an assist from Schubert, once again emerging to shoot from a goal-mouth scramble. Two minutes later, Katie Kauffman, younger sister of Penn's Mandy Kauffman, came up with the ball in the circle. When Pures came out to challenge her, Kauffman tapped it behind Pures for the icing on the Terrapins' cake. Penn really had only two scoring chances. One was on its lone corner. Although junior midfielder Amy Pine couldn't get a shot off, the Quakers got a long corner. Pine shot it through the circle but two Penn forwards couldn't get a stick on it. With three and a half minutes left in the game, senior forward and co-captain Franny Maguire broke free at midfield but couldn't get downfield and pull the trigger. Despite the lack of offense, Sage was pleased with her team's performance against an obviously superior opponent. "[Maryland's] a Final Four team right there," Sage said. "It's another level of play. What I like is we weren't frustrated walking off the field. I like that we didn't lose the edge and we weren't afraid of them. I think this game will pay off in terms of game experience." Pures was harder pressed to find a bright spot. "Bright spots?" Pures said. "Here's a bright spot – we allowed them one less goal than last year. We played well together and that's all that matters. They're just a better team and we just have to accept that." The bright spot may be that there are two reassuring patterns that have developed this season regarding Quaker losses to ranked teams. First, every time Penn has lost to a ranked team, it has moved up in the rankings. And second, after these losses, it tends to blow by its next Ivy opponent. Witness wins over Harvard and Cornell following losses to Penn State and Temple. That bodes well for Saturday's key game at Yale. If the Quakers beat or tie the Elis, they will clinch the Ivy title and the accompanying NCAA berth. "We're fired up [for Yale]," Pures said, "We lost to Penn State and came out and destroyed Harvard – so Yale's next. I guess we just lose really bad [to ranked teams] and come back and win."