F. Hockey still wants to earn respect

It's hard to imagine a team which has won consecutive Ivy League titles thinking it has to prove it belongs. It's even tougher to think a team riding a four-game undefeated streak would think it needs to show it can win. It's almost ludicrous that a team which has scorched its last two opponents 10-2 would find it necessary to prove its offense is for real. Nevertheless, the Penn field hockey team plans to show visiting Harvard each of these facts in tomorrow's 10 a.m. contest at Franklin Field. "We're ready to play and to prove ourselves," senior defenseman Mandy Kauffman said. "We are ready to show everyone that we can win again." The Quakers (5-1-1, 0-0-1 Ivy League) are driven to prove the Ivy League is theirs. They opened the Ivy schedule with a 1-1 tie at Dartmouth, and they plan to take out the frustration on the Crimson. "We're excited to play Harvard," junior forward Jessica Gilhorn said. "We really want to beat them, and we're looking forward to winning." Harvard (3-4, 1-0) is coming off a big win over Cornell, and is currently second in the Ancient Eight. Penn, boasting a starting lineup with five seniors, is prepared to unseat the Crimson and the Tigers and retake the position atop the Ivies it has enjoyed the past two seasons. "Everyone is looking at Princeton right now," Kauffman said. "But we're ready to show them all that we're back." In getting ready for Harvard, the Quakers have practiced a few new techniques. For example, the passing in the offensive zone has been a target of concern. "We've worked on passing within their circle," Gilhorn said. "We want to pass the ball to each other's sticks, as opposed to a general area." The offense has erupted lately since its early season funk. In the past two games, senior midfielder Amy Pine has notched a pair of goals, and junior forward Kara Philbin has scored one while setting up three others. The Quakers will need all the scoring they can get, because Harvard junior goaltender Jessica Milhollin is riding a hot streak after making 12 saves in a shutout of Cornell. "Their goaltending is tough," Philbin said. "But we're starting to build on each of our games. We've brought our game to a new level." It's hard to imagine a team that has not lost an Ivy contest in two years rising to a new level, but the Quakers are playing with confidence for the first time this season. "Before, we were in a comfort zone," Philbin said. "We were scared to take chances. But we're not afraid anymore. We're happy to be on the field, and we're ready to play." Though Harvard is not expected to contend for the Ivy title, the Quakers are not looking at this contest like a regular Ivy game. "All our competition for the rest of the season should be tough." freshman midfielder Michelle Canuso-Bedesem said. "We're really excited for this one. We want to play our best, we want to keep scoring, but most of all we want to keep winning." The winning has come in bunches. The Quakers have not lost since a 3-0 shellacking at Delaware, and since then they have gone 3-0-1. With the added ammunition of feeling as though they have something to prove, the Quakers will look to continue their recent winning ways against Harvard tomorrow.