Field Hockey tops Villanova in home opener

Maria Karas scored the game-winner in Penn's Franklin Field debut. Maria Karas scored the game-winner in Penn's Franklin Field debut. After losing to one Big 5 rival Saturday, the Penn field hockey team opened its home season last night by facing another city rival. This time, however, the Quakers came out on top. "This game was just an awesome display of teamwork," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "We played our game plan out perfectly." Cloud, who had been keeping an eye on the Wildcats' technique in their last few games, believes Penn was prepared for last night's competition. "[Villanova's strategy] is going down the middle and overpowering," Cloud said. "We took advantage of my seeing them before." Penn's defense was ready for Villanova's strong and experienced scorers, many of whom are upperclassmen. "Our defense was the key to this game," Penn senior midfielder Leah Bills said. "[Villanova hits] it as hard as they can and their forwards track it down, but we were ready for that. We did a good job of staying back and attacking the big ball when it came." Goals by Quakers seniors Courtney Martin and Maureen Flynn gave Penn a 2-0 lead at halftime. But the Wildcats came back in the second half. 'Nova's Nicole DiMaggio and Gina Rossi brought the game to a tie in the second period -- but not for long. Six seconds after Rossi's goal, Penn sophomore Maria Karas scored to give the Quakers a 3-2 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish. With a little more than two minutes remaining, Martin sealed the game for the Quakers. "When Villanova came back with two goals, we came back right away," Cloud said. "We won that game. They didn't give it to us." Villanova coach Joanie Milhous attributes Karas' goal to her team's defeat. "We worked so hard to come back," Milhous said. "The biggest thing that killed us was Penn's goal that was scored six seconds after [we came back]. We worked so hard and then we gave Penn a goal. That killed us." After defeating Villanova, the Quakers believed that they saw an improvement in their performance from the game against the Hawks. "We were a lot more composed [against Villanova]," Bills said. "When they came back we just took a deep breath and played our game. "We played with more confidence tonight, and we had more confidence in each other." The Wildcats, however, went into the game with a 3-1 record this season. Their most recent win came when they beat Virginia Commonwealth by a 10-0 score last Sunday. "[Tonight] was a disappointing game because we didn't play smart," Milhous said. "Penn played smarter than we did." Milhous also noted the Quakers' intensity. "Penn looked like they wanted it a little more than we did and we took it for granted," she said. "We should never take [a game] for granted, especially against Penn. Penn will give every team a great game." The Quakers emphasized that team unity helped lead them to their victory. "Tonight's win was a real team effort," Karas said. "Every person in the field gave it their all, and that's why we won."