Field Hockey meets Tribe in non-conference match

The Quakers figure to continue their history of success Sunday against host William and Mary. The Penn field hockey team may have lost its past few games, but it has not lost its spirit. Although its game against Delaware (10-1) last Tuesday was a defeat, the Quakers (3-4 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) were far from being losers. Penn put up a strong fight against the Blue Hens, scoring three goals, which is more than they usually rack up in a game. "We played more offensively than ever. We can't think of it as a loss because it's the best we've played in a while," said tri-captain Audrey Heinel. "We played at the highest level possible for the entire 70 minutes." Penn coach Val Cloud concurred. The Quakers are presently priming themselves for Sunday's match at William and Mary. "We played better against Delaware than we have for most of the season. We played well against a high-ranked team, and I know we can do it again," Cloud said. She plans on focusing this week's practices on the same points the team was trying to improve upon for Delaware -- going to the ball, control, better sticks and aggression. But what she feels is most instrumental to the game is simple confidence. "The game is 80 percent mental and 20 percent skill. If you are not mentally prepped to win, then your chances are slim," Cloud said. In the past few games, the team has exhibited improvements in its mental game, playing harder and smarter than it had earlier in the season. Additionally, the team has exhibited incredible unity, with offense and defense playing not as separate parts of a whole, but as a solid team. "We are a real 'team' team. There are no stars, no solo efforts," Cloud said. "On any given day, any girl on the team can explode and play the best game of her career." Perhaps, then, what Penn is looking for this weekend is an explosive performance against friendly competitors. In past seasons, games with William and Mary have been closely matched, typically with only a one-goal difference in score. Cloud said that both she and Tribe coach Peel Hawthorne profess to have similar philosophies of the game, and admit to always having fun when the teams meet. Over the past few years, Penn has been able to leave with nothing but victories from its match-ups with William and Mary. "I expect a competitive game. We need to take our losses, learn from them, put them past us and move on. We need to win the games we are supposed to win," Heinel said. "I expect to win," said Cloud when asked what she saw for the Quakers this weekend. "Our forwards are getting more involved in scoring, the team is becoming more aggressive. I have confidence in them. The team has depth. No single player dominates the field," Cloud said. This Sunday, the Quakers hope to justify their coach's enthusiasm and optimism. "We're prepped, we've learned from our losses. We can just go out and do our best. There will be no more struggling to keep up," Heinel said.