Another tough loss for Field Hockey

Before heading to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell on Saturday, Penn women's soccer coach Darren Ambrose was a bit worried about playing on the road.

Perhaps his team's 2-1 victory over the Big Red calmed his nerves.

Sophomore Katy Cross netted both goals for the Quakers (4-2-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League), pushing her Ivy League-leading total to seven this season. Cross also leads the Ancient Eight in assists, with four, and total points, with 18.

"We responded well," Ambrose said.

"It was a fight all the way through," Cross said.

Cross first goal came off a broken play. In the 16th minute, she collected a bad clearance near the top of the 18-yard box, ran past two defenders, and slotted the ball home from about eight yards out.

The equalizer came only 49 seconds into the second half when Big Red (3-1, 1-1) junior Emily Knight headed a hard cross from sophomore Whitney Cale past Penn goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto, who had four saves on the day.

"That really made the second half a lot harder than it had to be," Cross said.

The Red and Blue went ahead for good in the 76th minute, when Cross ran into the box and put home a low pass from the wing by fellow sophomore Devon Sibole.

"That was encouraging to see, that we had been able to execute some of the things we had been working on," Ambrose said.

Despite the win, Ambrose said that there is more work to be done.

"I wouldn't say we played as well as we're capable [against Cornell]," he said. "We still want to focus on playing for 90 minutes."

The team will be tested this afternoon by Drexel, who visits Rhodes Field at 4:30 p.m. The Dragons are 1-6-1 on the year, including losses to St. Joseph's, Temple and George Mason, whom the Quakers play on Sunday. The lone win came against Long Island University.

The Dragons are currently on a four-game losing streak, having been outscored 18-4 during their skid.

Despite Drexel's losing record -- and its string of defeats -- Ambrose is as serious about this game as any other.

"Drexel [is] a physical, a tough team. We can't let our guard down," Ambrose said.

The Quakers will be hard-pressed to let their guard down, especially when they have the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week on their side.

Cross, for her efforts against Monmouth, La Salle and Cornell, garnered the nod as the Ivy League's best female player.

In the three games, Cross scored five goals, adding to her team and Ivy League-leading seven goals this season.

The second team All-American is close to eclipsing the all-time Penn scoring record, held by Andrea Callaghan at 68. Cross has 52 career points.

"It's always an honor," Cross said of receiving the award.

Her coach was a bit more praising of his sophomore's rise to preeminence in the Ivy League.

"I think it's recognition well-deserved," Ambrose said "She's starting to take over games. "She's a phenomenal player."

Cross' goal-scoring hot streak has been a key factor in leading the Quakers in their recent surge.

In the season's opening weekend, Cross was held scoreless and the Quakers dropped a pair of games by a combined score of 5-0.

Since then, Cross has scored in every game and the Quakers currently are riding a four-game winning streak.

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