Another shutout for F. Hockey, this time over Georgetown

It seems that the Penn field hockey team has developed a habit for shutouts.

The Quakers defeated Georgetown at Kehoe Field in the nation's capital yesterday, 3-0. Aside from being the Red and Blue's sixth shutout of the season, yesterday's win against the Hoyas marks the team's fifth win in a row and ninth in 10 games.

For the Quakers (10-4, 3-1 Ivy), the win was the product of excellent communication, fine shot making and a strong defense.

"They've trained well, been very ambitious and held together very well on defense," Penn assistant coach Amanda Janney said. "That was definitely the key to today's win."

Penn took the lead very early on with a goal from senior Liz Lorelli at the 5:34 mark of the first half. Despite the early lead, the Hoyas (3-13) kept the pressure on the Red and Blue throughout the rest of the half, keeping the score at 1-0.

"We kind of failed to capitalize on opportunities to widen our lead in the first half," Lorelli said. "It was a combination of Georgetown strengthening their defense and a weakening of our communication -- we just weren't connecting well."

In the second half, however, things started picking up for the Quakers once again.

At the 12-minute mark in the second half, Penn junior Lea Salese scored to widen the lead to 2-0. The goal served as a catalyst for the rest of the team, as the Quakers picked up their game and began dominating the Hoyas.

"Everyone stepped up their game and got really pumped to play after Lea scored the second goal," Lorelli said. "We were really determined to take them out, and we succeeded."

Penn sophomore Tracy Statter sealed the game with a goal at the 54:31 mark past Georgetown goaltender Abby Winer, who made eight saves for the Hoyas.

Penn controlled Georgetown offensively, outshooting the Hoyas 17-3 in addition to holding a 7-1 edge in penalty corners.

A strong defense was also a factor in Penn's win, with sophomore goalie Liz Schlossberg and junior goalie Amanda Jacobs making some impressive saves against the few opportunities Georgetown had to score.

The team hopes to carry its momentum into next week when it will play Yale.

"We're definitely excited for next week's game," Janney said. "Yale's had a stronger season than Georgetown, so it will be tougher, but with the way the team's been playing, I'm confident we'll do well."

PENN 1 2 -- 3Georgetown 0 0 -- 0

Goals: 1. Lorelli (P) 5:34 (unassisted); 2. Salese (P) 47:58 (unassisted); 3. Statter (P) 54:31 (Lorelli)

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