Cornell next for F. Hockey

Since 1976, the Penn field hockey team has won 17 out of its 23 games against Ivy League opponent Cornell. This past history will provide the 1999 Quakers (1-3, 0-1 Ivy League) with a solid foundation when they face off against the Big Red on Sunday. Last season, the Red and Blue lost to Lafayette on the road before beating Cornell at Franklin Field in the following game. On Wednesday night, Penn was defeated again by Lafayette at home, 1-0, with Kellee Salber's goal coming in the final minute before halftime. In the 1998 game against Cornell, Penn won 2-1 with both goals coming in the first half from forward Maureen Flynn. A repeat performance of last season's game would be more than welcome for the Quakers who are entering this game after back-to-back defeats dealt by Lafayette and Dartmouth. Sunday's game at Cornell's Schoellkopf Field has been targeted as a critical game for the Quakers. "We have got to recover after those defeats and must win this game," Penn coach Val Cloud said. This is Penn's second Ivy League game of the season and will test the strength of the team. "The Ivy League schedule is tough but we still have tougher games ahead," Cloud said. In order to defeat the Big Red, Penn must play better than it did in its Ivy League opener. "We need to come out a lot stronger than we did against Dartmouth," Penn forward Maria Karas said. "We need to play with confidence and intensity throughout the whole 70 minutes." For the Big Red (2-2, 0-1), this will also be an important game. Cornell is hoping to return to winning ways after its 3-2 overtime loss against Colgate on Tuesday night. Possibly the most interesting result of Cornell's campaign to date was a 4-0 drubbing dealt by fellow Ivy League contender Princeton last Saturday. In that game, Cornell goalie Maureen Sullivan made 18 saves, although four shots by different players found the back of the goal. One player to watch on her home ground will be Cornell senior Kelly Dean, who leads the Big Red with six points on two goals and two assists. Tonight Cornell is scheduled to play Kent.