The Penn field hockey team has known since mid-September that it would need a solid run of victories to rescue a season that began 3-4, including two Ivy League losses.
The Quakers took a step in that direction Saturday with a 1-0 win over Dartmouth, the team's first conference victory.
Senior forward Cara Calahan provided the only scoring for the Red and Blue with a goal in the 22nd minute.
It was Calahan's third goal of the year, and it came with an assist from junior forward Tracy Statter.
The game was dominated by defense on both sides, with Dartmouth managing just three shots and Penn only five. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg needed only two saves to collect her third shutout of the season.
"It was a pretty even game," Calahan said.
However, she added, "there were many other opportunities that we failed to capitalize on.
"We're working on having more of a team offense."
Calahan's words echoed those of her head coach, Val Cloud.
Cloud remarked after the Quakers' 3-2 comeback win over then-No. 15 Villanova that her main goal was "getting the whole team on the same page."
"Everyone should be thinking about what the next pass is," Cloud said.
With two straight wins on the books, Penn will try to make it three in a row tomorrow when it travels to face another local rival, Temple.
The Quakers are not taking the city matchup lightly.
"They've lost some games they shouldn't have lost, and they won some games no one thought they could win," Calahan said of Temple.
The Owls are 4-8, including road losses in their last two games to Drexel and Rutgers.
Cornell 0 0 -- 0PENN 1 0 -- 1
Scoring: 1st Half: 1, PENN Calahan 3 (Statter) 21:38.
2nd Half: None
