The 2003 season is full of question marks for the Penn field hockey team.
Sophomore goaltender Amanda Jacobs -- who started every game for the Quakers last year and recorded 96 saves -- will compete with freshmen Elizabeth Schlossberg and Christina Congdon for the starting job.
Junior Cecilia Carriquiry, who finished second highest in points last year among underclassmen, is out with chronic back problems. The injury first flared up around midseason last year. No one is sure when she will return this season, if at all.
Last season's starting defense graduated three starters.
The margin for error in answering any of these questions is slim, as last year the Quakers dropped seven games by one goal in a disappointing 6-11 season. Despite all of these unknowns, both coach Val Cloud and the players seem optimistic about the coming season.
"What we're looking for is to build confidence heading into the season," Cloud said. "Any win early on in the season builds momentum."
A look at last year's schedule emphasizes coach Cloud's comment. The Quakers dropped their first four games of the season last year, including two Ivy losses, before picking up their first win -- against West Chester -- at the end of September.
This year, the Quakers will not have it any easier, as they play three top 20 teams within the first six games -- Delaware, Harvard and Penn State.
The Quakers gained some momentum during their preseason trip to Ireland in May, where they scrimmaged against four European club teams.
"We had a great preseason," Cloud said. "Now it's time to produce. We're kind of tired of losing games by one goal or in overtime."
With the loss of Brandi Alexander, Nicole Eissler and Colleen Connors on defense, the Quakers will need to fill a huge void to ensure that teams do not score key goals at the end of games.
Senior co-captain Emily Farnesi, a 2002 All-Ivy Honorable Mention selection, will anchor the defense, along with juniors Kate Murphy, Bernice Raveche and Jessica Kaylor.
"We're pretty optimistic about our defense," Farnesi said. "We have a lot of strong girls coming in who may not have had game experience, but have been up there and playing for a while."
Freshmen Nyssa Liebermann and Melina Tsui could also see time on defense.
"A lot of the girls who will now get the playing time have been motivators from years past," Farnesi said. "They've been keeping us very competitive, because they are strong defenders."
While Penn's defense remains untested, it will have more experience in front of the cage. Schlossberg, who played for the 2003 U.S. under-20 National Team, is expected to alternate with returning starter Jacobs.
"I'm very excited about [Schlossberg]," Cloud said. "She has a lot of experience and competition with the U.S. under-20 team."
Although Cloud did not specify which goalie will start in the season opener on Saturday, she hinted that the goalie who performs best in the preseason will get the nod regardless of any prior experience.
"The way I feel about it is it doesn't matter what year you are," Cloud said. "It's who's performing better in practice."
As for offense, the Quakers will not only have to account for the loss of two-time All-Ivy honoree Kylee Jakobowski, they will also have to play without Carriquiry. Luckily, the Red and Blue have an abundance of experience and talent in this area.
Junior Liz Lorelli and senior co-captain Jackie Lange make up a potent duo that totaled nearly 50 percent of the team's scoring load last year. Lorelli, who was named second team All-Ivy, led the Red and Blue with 10 goals and 24 points.
Complementing the two stars will be senior Marianne Rogers and juniors Samantha Somach and Rosemary Connors.
The Quakers receive added depth from sophomores Deborah Low
