F. Hockey still looking for first Ivy win

Loss to Harvard dropsLoss to Harvard dropsPenn to 0-2 in the leagueLoss to Harvard dropsPenn to 0-2 in the leaguewith four Ivy games left An intense Ivy League game was contested at Franklin Field last Saturday as the Penn field hockey team took on Harvard. With only four Ivy league games remaining this season, the Quakers are still winless in the conference play. A disappointing 2-1 loss to Harvard dropped Penn to 0-2 in the Ivies and 4-4 overall. The game featured little offense with all three goals coming unassisted. Penn took only six shots on goal compared with eight by the Crimson. Michele Canuso-Bedesem and Tara Childs, the Quakers' leading scorers, recorded only one shot each. Penn also took only two penalty corners -- both in the second half. The Crimson came out strong and scored early in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Quakers struck back when freshman Maureen Flynn scored her second goal of the season to tie the score. The scoring ended when Harvard answered with a momentum-stealing goal within the next minute of play. "It was really disappointing that we let them score right away," Penn senior co-captain Curran Kelly said. "That's a crucial time in the game, and we allowed them to score. When we had the momentum, we should not have allowed them to take it away from us." Kelly added that Penn had difficulty with receiving the ball and keeping control of the ball. Despite their troubles, the Quakers felt they could have defeated the Crimson. "We were looking to Harvard to get us going in the Ivy League," Kelly said. "But we missed our chance with Harvard. I think they were beatable." "I don't think they were a better team than us. I think they outplayed us," Penn sophomore goaltender Sarah Dunn said. "I think our team was lacking intensity. All 11 of us need to pick it up. We need to execute better. We weren't playing to the best of our ability." Despite defeating Columbia a week ago at home, the Quakers remain at 0-2 because the Lions will not become an official Ivy League team until next season. Because Columbia does not play all the Ivy schools, this being the first year the Lions have had a field hockey team, the results do not count in the official standings. Penn will need to play to the best of its ability if it hopes to have a shot at the Ivy League title. The team has four more Ivy League games, two of which are at home. And the Quakers will be facing a strong Princeton team on the road to close out the season. Penn was scheduled to visit Delaware yesterday, but the game was canceled due to rain.