The Penn field hockey team got its second Ivy League win of the season Sunday, edging Brown, 1-0, at Franklin Field.
Junior Jackie Lange's seventh goal of the season lifted the Quakers (6-10, 2-4 Ivy League) past the Bears, who carried a three-game winning streak into the contest.
The win, Penn's fourth in its last six games, pushes the Red and Blue into a three-way tie with Yale and Brown for fifth place. All three teams play their final games of the season this week.
Despite coming into Sunday's game with an unimpressive Ivy League record of 2-3, the Bears boasted the Ivy League's second-best offense with an average of 3.0 goals per game.
But Penn's upfront pressure forced their opponents back into their shells, and the Bears failed to establish any offensive flow. The stingy Penn defense rendered Brown's attack impotent for extended stretches Sunday.
The Bears couldn't even muster a shot until the second half.
The day's only goal came early in the first half, as Lange deposited Anna Mitchell's nifty pass into the back of net 14 minutes into the first half.
The rest of the day belonged to freshman goalkeeper Amanda Jacobs, who preserved the tenuous lead with her confident play in net.
On the occasions when Brown could assemble an attack, Jacobs was there.
She recorded three saves in the second half, as Brown hunted for the equalizer. Jacobs turned away Brown's best opportunity of the day when she knocked away a Lizzie Buza offering at the 20-minute mark.
The Red and Blue closed out their home schedule with a respectable 5-5 record at Franklin Field. They finish up the 2002 campaign Friday night at Princeton, a team looking to finish up an undefeated title run.
The Tigers (10-6, 6-0 Ivy League), currently ranked No. 14 in the nation, clinched at least a share of their ninth consecutive Ivy League championship Tuesday with a 5-2 win at Cornell.
The win was coach Beth Bozman's 200th career victory.
Aside from securing an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the title ties an Ancient Eight record for most consecutive championships by a women's program.
Brown's women's soccer team also won nine straight, from 1982 to 1990.
This year's Tigers have done well to perpetuate the dynasty. They have scored twice as many goals as any other team in the league this season, and they need only one against Penn on Wednesday to establish a new Ivy League single season scoring record.
They effectively won their championship back on Oct. 26, with a home tilt against then-undefeated Harvard.
Princeton is coming off its own big victory. The Tigers upset the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels, 4-2, this weekend. Senior captain Ilvy Friebe has carried the Tigers' load offensively, notching a team-high 21 goals on the season.
Friebe has saved her best stuff for the Ivy League schedule. She averages an amazing 5.40 points per game in league competition.
Game time is 7 p.m. Friday night at Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium.
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