Blue Hens will pose a stern test

With three of the past four games being one-goal victories, one could wonder about the fate of both this and next year's Penn field hockey team. One thing that appears for sure is Penn's fate is pretty much in the hands of this year's sophomores. But don't overlook defenseman Curran Kelly. This year's lone junior, Kelly will be returning next year with the task of leading the team on her shoulders. Plagued by teammates who left the team, Kelly is now the only member of a class that had nine representatives just last year. With good chemistry between herself and all the seniors, Kelly feels as though she is a part of them. "I really clicked with the rest of the seniors," Kelly said. "I think I'm considered one of the them. They brought me into this position." Kelly's relationship with senior Jessica Gilhorn helped. They have played together since middle school. Gilhorn was right back and Kelly left back at Central Bucks West high school. Kelly is not concerned about the lack of upperclassmen on next year's squad. "This is the rebuilding year," Kelly explained. Kelly feels that Penn head coach Val Cloud is adequately preparing the team this year for the next season. For instance, both the varsity and j.v. squads regularly practice together. "Val is working on the sophomores and freshmen, getting them ready to play so that next year they're not going to step on the field for the first time and not know what to expect," Kelly said. This year, however, Kelly has her work cut out for her as she continues to play in the Penn backfield. The Quakers (4-0, 1-0 Ivy League), after a fantastic 3-1 win over Dartmouth in their Ivy League opener Saturday, will take a break from their Ivy schedule and host Delaware at Franklin Field tonight at 7:30. The Fightin' Blue Hens are one of the better teams on the Red and Blue's schedule. Although they don't consistently make the NCAAs, they are always a strong team. Penn assistant coach Donna Mulhern has seen Delaware play, and from what she's seen, the Hens are now a great passing team. "They're constantly coming at you," Mulhern explained. Cloud also has seen the Fightin' Blue Hens play, and explained that although Delaware's home field is grass, it is tremendous on both surfaces. "They have a quick, great goalkeeper, and they always play well together," Cloud said. "They were really good on the day I saw them." Last year, Penn was handed its first loss on the Hens' home turf. "We didn't do anything right that game," Cloud recalled. This season, Delaware was already handed a loss at the hands of Villanova. Penn defeated the Wildcats 2-1 in its home opener. With the defensive prowess of Kelly, the Quakers can hopefully make the Fightin' Blue Hens run around headless long enough to eke out a victory.