Field Hockey pulls out Ancient Eight victory in overtime

It was a scene of deja vu at Franklin Field yesterday afternoon for the Penn field hockey team. Another hot Ivy League rival coming into town. Another overtime thriller. Another Quakers victory provided by junior midfielder Kylee Jakobowski. With 9:11 left in the first overtime period, Jakobowski scored the game-winner for the second straight Ivy League match, this time upending Cornell (6-3 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) in a 2-1 Ancient Eight upset. The game comes eight days after Penn's (3-6, 2-0) first win of the season, an OT victory over Dartmouth. "It's not [special] for me personally," Jakobowski said. "I don't win the game, it's the team." The game-winner, a slap shot from the top of the circle, was Jakobowski's fifth goal of the season, tops on the team. The Quakers appeared to get on the board first when senior co-captain Monique Horshaw blasted the ball past Big Red goalie Kaitlin Tierney just 5:34 into the first half. However, the goal was called back after referees ruled Cornell started early on the penalty corner leading to the score. "The play should've been stopped right away," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "I couldn't be a jerk about it cause they were right." The potentially deflating turn of events, however, failed to stymie the Quakers. Junior midfielder Aparna Wilder took a pass from Jakobowski and pounded in her third goal of the season off a penalty corner with 12:26 remaining in the half. "We've done that so many times in practice," Wilder said. "That's the first time it's ever worked in the game. "[It was] totally crucial to score there." Cornell answered right back when Sommer Costabile blasted a shot past Quakers sophomore goalie Carrie Wilhelm with 9:57 left in the first half. Wilhelm stopped six shots on the day including a game-saving kick save four minutes into the extra period. Penn outplayed Cornell, outshooting the Big Red, 13-8, and getting significantly more offensive zone possession. With the win, the Quakers remained in first place in the Ivy League, a season after going winless in the conference and a mere eight days after being winless on the season. "Now we know what it's like to win," Cloud said. "Knowing we're going to win helps the confidence of the team. "I like winning them much better than the almosts." "We've come together as a team and been able to capture that the past few games," Penn junior forward Anna Mitchell said. "It definitely pumps you up and makes you very confident for the coming games." The Quakers hope to take this confidence and use it to maintain themselves at these unparalleled heights. "We've never been in this position before," Jakobowski said.

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