Philbin's goal lifts Quakers

Just as expected, the Penn field hockey team dominated Ursinus yesterday afternoon in Collegeville, Pa. But despite controlling the tempo and forcing the action in front of the Bears' net, the Quakers struggled to put the ball in the cage. This inability to finish the play allowed Ursinus to hang in a game which should have been a rout. Penn controlled nearly every facet of the game -- from shots on goal to corner opportunities -- except one: goals. Although the Quakers were clearly the superior team, regulation came and went without a goal from either side. Penn's offense quickly awoke in overtime, as senior forward Kara Philbin redirected a pass from Abby Herbine into the Bears' goal just a minute into OT. The sequence started when the Bears keeper tried to clear the ball to her left. Herbine intercepted the pass and centered it to Philbin, who finished the play, giving the Quakers (5-1) the 1-0 victory. With the score, Philbin surpassed her 1994 total of four goals with two-thirds of the season still remaining. Philbin is quickly building a reputation as a clutch performer. Last week, she broke a 1-1 tie against Lafayette with just 15 seconds left in regulation. If not for Philbin's late-game heroics, the Quakers could easily be 3-3 on the year. Instead, they are 5-1 and looking strong as the meat of the Ivy League schedule approaches. "We definitely dominated the game," senior forward Amy Shapiro said. "We just couldn't put the ball in the net." It was not from a lack of chances. Despite getting 23 corner opportunities, Penn could not find the net. The Quakers went into the game expecting a low-scoring contest. Penn is accustomed to playing on the lightning-quick turf of Franklin Field, which benefits teams with strong transition games and good team speed. However, Ursinus's home field is natural grass, which severely slows the pace of the game. For a team like Penn that feeds off corner opportunities, some key adjustments had to be made. The inbound pass travels substantially slower, forcing the shooter to get the shot off quicker. "On corner attempts, the shot has to be perfect," senior defenseman Jessica Gilhorn said. "The shot has to be more accurate than normal." The Quakers were unable to make those subtle alterations, as they wasted numerous shots off corners. With the Penn offense controlling the pace, if not the score, freshman goaltender Sarah Dunn had an easy day. She recorded the first shutout of her young collegiate career. If the game had been played at Franklin Field, instead of at Ursinus, the Quakers may very well have put up three or four goals. The game would likely have resembled last year's Penn-Ursinus contest, which the Quakers won 6-0. Of course, that game was played on artificial turf. "We played well, but not spectacular," Shapiro said. "It is really hard to play on grass." · Yesterday Division III, tomorrow Division II. The Quakers hit the road but stay in-state once again tomorrow when they travel to West Chester to take on the Golden Rams at 1 p.m.