Ecstacy: Field Hockey claims first Ivy victory

A scene of complete euphoria, symbolized by a mass of bodies piled in front of the opposing team's goal.

This would not be an image associated with Penn field hockey.

Until Saturday.

The Quakers (1-5, 1-0 Ivy League) came from behind to upset Dartmouth, 2-1, in a thrilling overtime affair at Franklin Field on Saturday afternoon.

"I can't tell you how good this feels," Penn coach Val Cloud said of her team's first Ivy League victory since October of 1999.

Penn kept the Big Green (3-2, 0-1) pinned in their own end for the vast majority of the game.

"The D stepped up and kept the ball in [the offensive zone]," Cloud said. "We accomplished our mission in terms of how we wanted to play."

This strategy's effectiveness was reflected on the stat sheet, as Penn got off 20 shots, compared to Dartmouth's 12.

Despite the general supremacy of the Quakers, the first half ended in a scoreless tie due in large part to a brilliant effort by Dartmouth goalkeeper Kristen Anderson.

"Kristen is a great goalie," Cloud said. "She saved some great shots that could've been goals for us. But I have to give our team a lot of credit, that was the most shots we have taken all season."

Bad luck also played a role in the deadlock at halftime, as a shot by senior co-captain Nikki Battiste hit the post midway through the half.

The Quakers failed to come out of the halftime break sharp and it cost them dearly. Dartmouth forward Rebecca Stucker blasted a shot past Penn goaltender Carrie Wilhelm with 31 minutes to go.

However, the Quakers maintained consistent offensive pressure, which was noticeably absent in their previous losses.

Following a series of chances, Penn senior forward Maria Karas punched the ball past Anderson with 19:58 remaining in regulation to tie the game at one.

"It was just kind of scrappy in there," Karas said. "I was finally able to get it through."

With each team playing more conservatively as regulation ticked away, offensive chances were few and far between.

The Red and Blue, however, got another excellent scoring opportunity from Karas before the final horn of regulation.

With 5:46 remaining and Penn controlling the ball near the Dartmouth goal, the senior was knocked over in front of the net.

This infraction resulted in a penalty stroke. The resulting free shot hit the right post.

"I was aiming for the lower right," Karas said, "and I just missed a little wide."

"It was very impressive coming back after missing that stroke," Cloud said.

In the 15-minute, seven-on-seven, sudden death overtime, Penn indeed did come back.

Wilhelm kept the Quakers alive with two tough saves on a Big Green breakaway with nine minutes to go. The sophomore goalie had six stops on the afternoon.

Following a penalty corner chance that was turned away by Alexander, junior midfielder Kylee Jakobowski received the ball on a rebound to the left of the goal.

"It was just off a rebound and the coach has been reiterating to follow our rebounds," Jakobowski said.

There was no rebound on Jakobowki's shot, which ended up in the back of the goal with 6:40 left in overtime to give Penn the sudden-death victory.

For a team that had not won all season and had already dropped three one-goal decisions, a loss here had the potential to be devastating.

However, their previous shortcomings were not on the players' minds during the game.

"Before the game, [Cloud] said it was the beginning of a whole new season, the Ivies," Karas said. "It was a fresh start and a clean slate."

With renewed confidence, the Quakers will host La Salle Thursday from the unfamiliar perch of first place in the Ivy League.

Said Jakobowski, "We're a whole new team."

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