F. Hockey: Lorelli sparks sputtering Penn offense to victory

Heading into Saturday's matchup with Cornell, the Penn field hockey team knew it was going to have to play without its co-captain and second-highest goal scorer from last year.

Senior forward Jackie Lange, who injured her right knee in last week's game against Lafayette, was sidelined for the entire game.

But the Quakers would not let the injury defeat them, nor the Big Red.

Junior Liz Lorelli connected for two goals and sophomore Amanda Jacobs posted her second shutout of the season as the Quakers (2-3, 1-1 Ivy) blanked the Big Red, 3-0, at Franklin Field.

"We played really well today, even though it was really hot," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "Our offense and defense moved the ball very well."

The Quakers came out shooting in the first half as Lorelli tallied her first goal just five minutes into the contest. The forward drew Cornell goalie Kaitlin Tierney out of the cage, dribbled to the right and shot it past her to give the Quakers a 1-0 lead.

The Penn defense held strong for the remainder of the first half, blocking two Cornell shots.

Senior co-captain Emily Farnesi made a key defensive save with Jacobs out of the cage to preserve Penn's lead.

The Quakers' defense remained just as strong in the second half, holding the Big Red (2-3, 1-1) to just two shots on goal -- both of which Jacobs saved.

"Our defense came up big again and again," Cloud said.

On the other side of the ball, the Quakers proved they could score without Lange.

Lorelli tallied her team-leading fifth goal -- and her second of the game -- off an assist from sophomore Kristen Gray at the 52:31 mark to give Penn a 2-0 advantage.

The Quakers put the game out of reach when sophomore Cara Calahan -- who started in place of Lange -- received a pass from midfielder Lea Salese and put the ball in for her second goal of the season.

"That was really big, scoring our third goal," Cloud said. "It was the first time we did that all season."

The Quakers' offense -- the most experienced part of the lineup coming into the season -- was left in serious doubt after Penn failed to score on six penalty corners in their 2-1 loss to Lafayette last week.

But the Quakers seemed inspired against the Big Red, as the offense passed more efficiently and targeted eight out of their 11 shots on goal.

"We definitely shot the ball more and shot it better today," Cloud said. "This is something we've been looking for all season."

While Lange's absence made the Quakers' offensive surge all the more remarkable, Cloud did not seem surprised that the Penn reserves were able to step up.

"Fortunately, we have the depth to do that," Cloud said, referring to the Quakers' frequent substitutions at forward. "We took out crucial people to give them a rest for critical points during the game."

The victory not only gave Penn a much-needed win, but also put them back into the race in the Ancient Eight. An 0-2 start would have diminished the Quakers' chances on improving their sixth-place finish from last year.

"Any Ivy League win is important, because we want to make a statement that we can be competitive this year," Lange said in an interview last week.

The Quakers will face their toughest opponent of the season Wednesday when they travel to State College, Pa., to take on No. 8 Penn State.

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