Field Hockey falls to Elis

A win over Princeton FridayA win over Princeton Fridaystill gives Penn theA win over Princeton Fridaystill gives Penn theIvy League titleA win over Princeton Fridaystill gives Penn theIvy League title___________________________ The Penn field hockey team had taken nine games in a row from Yale, yet when the Quakers to New Haven, Conn., this weekend, the stage was set for a turnaround. The Quakers' nine-game Yale-beating streak was the longest in Penn history. Nothing, however, lasts forever. After a whopping 66:29 of scoreless play, the Elis' Keltie Ferris scored the game-wining goal on a breakaway. The Quakers (10-6, 4-1 Ivy League) entered the game undefeated in the Ivies, and Penn was headed for a battle with also-undefeated Princeton later this week. With a win at Yale (10-4, 3-2) and against the Tigers, Penn would have clinched its second Ivy title in three years. Despite the shutout loss, a win at home against Princeton this Friday will give Penn a tie for the Ivy crown, and the all-important NCAA postseason berth as well. "We'd much rather determine our own fates," Penn coach Val Cloud said earlier in the season. Despite the setback at Yale, Penn is happy it can still do just that. One possible reason for the Quakers' loss is the grass surface of Yale's playing field. After the deluge Friday and Saturday, turf would have at least given the advantage of better drainage. The conditions at Yale were nothing shy of soggy Saturday morning. Since grass is a slower surface than turf, the rain only slowed it even more. The Quakers have had trouble offensively on grass all season, as they showed in a 2-1 upset loss to Division III West Chester last month. Penn scored only once against Division III Ursinus on grass as well. The greatest disadvantage Penn faces by playing on grass is the ineffectiveness of the Quakers' penalty corner shots. On turf, the feed from the corner is true, as is the number of assists for the shot on goal. On grass, however, the nature of the ground can cause the ball to roll funny, bounce and change direction unpredictably. Penn had 13 corner opportunities Saturday and could not connect on any of them. Although Penn outshot Yale 19-14, the Quakers only had four shots inside the circle in the second half, compared to 14 the first. Although Yale only mustered seven, the one that got through counted in a big way.