It's such a thin line between victory and defeat, between the penthouse and the outhouse.
The Penn field hockey team knows just how thin that line really is. No strangers to misfortune, the Quakers realize that they could quite easily be 8-4 right now, instead of 4-8. But they also know that if they keep playing hard, good things could eventually happen for them.
Like this weekend, for instance.
The Quakers finally got that elusive first Ivy League victory Friday, running Columbia all over the field en route to a 4-2 result at Franklin Field.
Senior Brandi Alexander led the way for the Quakers, notching her first two goals of the season.
The win lifts the Red and Blue -- at 1-3 in the Ivy League -- into a tie for fifth place with Brown.
While a league title appears out of reach -- what with Harvard and Princeton maintaining their undefeated marks over the weekend -- the Quakers could realistically finish as high as third if they can sustain their recent momentum through the remainder of the league schedule.
On Friday, the Quakers made quick work of the struggling Lions and their league-worst defense. Junior Jackie Lange and sophomore Liz Lorelli scored a pair of goals in the first 13 minutes to secure a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Alexander netted her first goal of the season to open a commanding three-goal lead.
The Lions cut into the Penn advantage right before halftime, when sophomore Tracy Bucholski beat Penn keeper Amanda Jacobs off a deflection following a corner. It was one of the few challenges the freshman Jacobs would see all night.
The Quakers would sweat a little bit, when sophomore back Kate Mansur snuck up to score early in the second half for the Lions. But Columbia's goals proved mere aberrations -- Penn was clearly the superior side.
The score was stuck at 3-2 for a large portion of the second half, but Penn's dominance prevented the Lions from ever really having a chance of tying the contest. The Lions' stalling offense couldn't make anything happen, and Alexander's insurance goal late in the half ended any drama.
Penn outshot their undermanned opponents by a 22-5 margin.
The Quakers return to action tomorrow, traveling to Georgetown in search of their first road victory.
The Hoyas (8-6) have been hot as of late, winning four of their last five. Senior Jessica Herring -- a co-captain with forward Michaela Brown -- has been a rock in net for coach Laurie Carroll. She has five shutouts on the year, including Sunday's 1-0 victory over Holy Cross.
Freshman phenom Jessica Quinn has been terrific up front, leading the Hoyas with 11 goals and 23 total points.
Game time is 4 p.m. at Georgetown's Kehoe Field.
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