F. Hockey plays season finale against Princeton

The intrinsic beauty of sport lies in the fact that familiarity breeds contempt. As is often the case when two teams meet regularly, the rivals begin to look forward to these meetings, often considering them the key to a successful season. The bitter Penn-Princeton rivalry is no exception. If a Penn student were to meet a Princeton student in a crowded movie theater, the two would likely compete to see who could eat more Sour Patch Kids. This is the nature of the rivalry. This afternoon at 3 at Palmer Stadium, when the Penn field hockey team visits the hated Tigers, do not look for any friendly exchanges. "Princeton is Princeton," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "We'll be taking it to them." The Quakers (9-4-1, 3-1-1 Ivy League) have been the class of the Ancient Eight over the past few seasons, as consecutive Ivy titles attest. But despite rolling through last season's Ivy schedule with an undefeated 6-0 mark, Penn had its share of problems with the Tigers. Princeton, which eventually finished 15-3 and second in the Ivies, came into West Philly on a mission. "They wanted to beat us really badly last season," Sage said. "You could just tell. We battled them in a close contest." To stay undefeated, Penn needed a magical overtime Amy Pine goal to emerge with the 2-1 victory. However, this season, the story is altered slightly. Princeton (11-3, 5-0) is ranked No. 14. And despite having dropped only one Ivy contest, the Quakers have unwillingly relinquished their two-year stranglehold on the league title. "Princeton has won it outright, and that does not make us happy," Sage said. "When we play them, we want to let them know we're still around. Beating the 1994 Ivy champions would be a nice accomplishment." This could be significantly easier said than done. Princeton sophomore midfielder Amy MacFarlane is third in Ivy scoring (a hair behind Pine) and is immediately followed by her teammate, senior defender Liz Fagan. The Tigers also boast the league's best goaltender in Liz Hill, who is surrendering .40 goals per Ivy contest. "We are aware of their talent," Sage said, "but we are familiar with their brand of hockey. And we are ready for them." Adding to Penn's motivation -- as though any additional excitement were necessary for this classic matchup -- is the fact the Quakers are all that stands between Princeton and an undefeated Ivy season. This perfection is something only the the Red and Blue has accomplished in recent memory. "We'd love to stop them from going undefeated," Sage said. "At this point, we're playing for Penn pride, and that's very important to us." This has been Penn's rallying cry all season. The Quakers have been on a search for national respect, but losses to Delaware, Cornell and Penn State did little to bolster Penn's national reputation. "We may have been a little too hard on ourselves," Sage said. "We wanted respect, but we barely managed to handle the teams we should have beaten. On the other hand, we've played really well in the big games." For example, last week the Quakers ventured to Maryland, where they held the Terrapins' star-studded attack to only one goal, losing 1-0. "We won't be satisfied with staying close," Sage said. "We realize they're a great team. They're ranked right now. But we want to beat them." One final note -- Penn is currently riding a four-game winning streak against Princeton. A victory this afternoon in their final contest in Red and Blue would make the eight departing seniors the second consecutive graduating class never to lose to Princeton. And one should never underestimate the power of a Penn victory over Princeton in these parts. "Never losing to Princeton is something these girls would never forget," Sage said. "We take these Princeton games pretty seriously." That is the nature of a rivalry.