No shocker here: 1-0 win for Field Hockey

The Penn field hockey team began its season with a win on Friday, outlasting St. Joseph's, 1-0. Senior co-captain and three-time All-Ivy second-team member Emily Hansel scored the eventual game-winning goal early in the contest, and the visiting Quakers went on to win the inaugural game of the 1997 season. Although the Quakers (1-0) came out with a win, it was obvious that opening-game jitters had taken their toll. St. Joe's started off strong, hustling and cutting off the passing lanes well. They were very aggressive on defense, pressuring the Quakers whenever Penn had an offensive opportunity. This strong play frustrated the Red and Blue, who managed to score an early goal to take the lead, 1-0. The game continued similarly, but the Quakers defense played well despite St. Joe's aggressiveness, only giving up few scoring opportunities. "We showed a lot of emotion and a lot of heart," Hansel said. "We need to work on our passing game, but a lot of it was just first game nerves." Although the game wasn't pretty, the Red and Blue did come out with a win, which should hopefully start to build up momentum for tomorrow's game at Franklin Field against rival Villanova. "This team has so much potential, and we should demonstrate it against Villanova," Hansel said. Ironically, the way the game played out seemed to follow the trend of recent meetings between the two teams. "I can't remember playing in an opening game in which we haven't beaten St. Joe's 1-0," Hansel said. With no more jitters to worry about, the Quakers can concentrate on improving. Leadership by the five returning seniors, including co-captain and All-Ivy second-team defender Michele Canuso-Bedesem, will be necessary if the team is to be successful. Also, the sophomores and juniors in the starting lineup will need to lift their game, all the while showing the freshmen the ropes and preparing them for their time on the field. Junior goalkeeper Sarah Dunn will start for her third year in the net, boasting last season's .813 save percentage. By matching the aggressiveness of their opponents, the Quakers should be successful, facing a challenging schedule in and out of the conference.