Pine scores in overtime to life F. Hockey to win

VILLANOVA -- Chrissy Thomas sat in the middle of the field, stripping the pads and choking back tears. She was bemoaning the goal, which 20 minutes earlier had sneaked between her right pad and the near post, lifting the Penn field hockey team to a 1-0 overtime win. Amy Pine notched her second goal of the young season just 32 seconds into the extra period, and Penn emerged from its battle at crosstown rival Villanova with a strenuous victory. "It was like rugby hockey out there," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "They tried to outplay us physically by constantly knocking us over, but we overcame." That was not all the Quakers overcame. Penn (2-0) was frustrated all night long by 'Nova senior goalkeeper Thomas, whose 29-save performance came on the heels of back-to-back shutouts, a feat which afforded her a new Villanova career record of 22 shutouts. The Quakers carried the play through regulation but could not solve Thomas, who made stops from all angles, including stuffing all of Penn's corners. But Penn prevailed, primarily because Pine willed it to do so. She had been shut down all night by Villanova senior forward JoAnn Brantuk, the Wildcat flyer on corner opportunities. Every time Pine would attempt a shot on a corner, Brantuk was in her face, stuffing many. "I don't know exactly how many corners we had," Penn senior defenseman Sue Quinn said, "but it was a lot. The more we did not score, the more frustrated we became. Their physical play did not make us happy either." But eventually, grace and skill prevailed over power and aggression. Just 32 ticks into overtime, after junior forward Amy Shapiro had pushed the ball upfield, Pine simply took over. After a dazzling display of talent, Pine juked two 'Nova defenders and blasted a shot past Thomas at the right corner to give Penn the big win. With the goal came the celebration, along with the end of 70 minutes, 32 seconds of pure frustration. Penn dominated play from the opening draw to the closing whistle. But the Quakers just could not dent Thomas. "It was extremely frustrating," senior midfielder Lily Ma said, "but we did our best to keep our heads in it. We just stayed focused, because we knew that we would eventually break them." The Quaker forwards were allowed to press even harder, knowing their defensive counterparts were simply not allowing the Wildcats past midfield. "We matched up well with them," Sage said. "We were able to hem them in most of the game because of our superior skill." Credit the starting defensive corps -- seniors Rani Bajwa, Mandy Kauffman and Melissa Sage -- with setting the tone early. They quickly stripped the Wildcats of the ball in the first minute, and the Quakers were barely pressured again for the entire first half. "Our defense was great all night," Ma said. "Villanova tries to pressure you into making mistakes, but we kept our composure and played very well." Throw midfielders Pine, Ma and junior Jessica Gilhorn -- all of whom were constantly quietly roaming the midfield line waiting to intercept Villanova's clearing passes -- into the mix, and it is understandable that Penn maintained complete control throughout. Penn was so dominant that its defensemen even began to take liberties in the Villanova defensive zone. The best scoring chance of the first half occurred when Quinn, jumping into the play, was fouled in the box and awarded a stroke. She steered it wide to the left of the cage, and the battle ensued. The second half was a more back-and-forth, up-and-down affair, though the Quakers still controlled the play. The difference, however, lied in the change in the Wildcats' approach. Villanova's physical play drove the Quakers to distraction, throwing them slightly off their game and allowing the Wildcats to creep slowly back into the game. "It was definitely tough to play our game because of the way they played," Quinn said. "But we hung in there, just because we knew we'd beat them." Though it took some magical stickwork from their star forward, they left Villanova with a win. But more than that, Pine's ability to lift the Quakers in their time of need should provide Penn with an emotional boost through its next few games. The Quakers emerged from a difficult contest with a tumultuous victory, serving notice they will not lie down to anyone.