The Penn field hockey team showed that they have a flair for the dramatic.
With a little over two minutes remaining and the crowd buzzing with anticipation, senior Kristen Gray pounded home the game's only goal, giving the Quakers a 1-0 win over the Yale Elis yesterday. The crowd and players erupted, partly in celebration and partly as a sigh of relief.
Gray's goal came at the end of an intense game permeated by physicality. Sticks were flying, players were colliding, and at times, the game was more reminiscent of a Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field.
This was no surprise for Yale (6-9, 1-4 Ivy) which leads the league in yellow card infractions, but for a more graceful and skill-oriented Penn, it came as a shock. The aggressive nature of the game took the Quakers (8-6, 2-2) out of their usual rhythm and led to some mistakes on offense.
Captain Lea Salese, whose slight frame and nickname of "Twiggy" belie her intensity, was involved in one notable collision that forced the official to stop play and provoked a collective gasp from the crowd.
"I was getting angry out there," she said.
Tough play wasn't the only factor contributing to the fire building within Salese. During the game, she was visibly upset with calls made by the officials, raising her arms in disgust several times. When asked if she was happy with the officiating she groaned and rolled her eyes.
"That's out of our control," she said biting her tongue.
A source of frustration for most of the game, Gray's game-winning tally came on a penalty corner.
In the 10 previous penalty corner attempts, the Quakers usual sharp passing and execution was absent, replaced by raggedy play and missed opportunities, much like the game itself. With each successive attempt, the Quakers looked a little more anxious and put a little more pressure on themselves.
"We had to get settled down," coach Val Cloud said.
Penn's final penalty corner reflected a calmer approach and was a far cry from its previous frantic efforts.
As the ball came her way thanks to a crisp pass from Salese, Gray said to herself, "I just have to put it in."
When the ball knocked off the back of the cage, she knew she had done just that.
Unfortunately for Penn, Princeton's nail-biting victory over Harvard on Saturday means that there will be no repeat Ivy League championship for the Quakers this year. The players were disappointed, but not devastated.
"I'd love to end my career with a win over Princeton," said Gray.
Before the Quakers get their chance to beat Princeton, they have to play Columbia and Brown. A sweep may no longer mean the championship, but as Gray has said before, "It would be awesome."
Yale 0 0 -- 0PENN 0 1 -- 1
Scoring: 1st Half: None
2nd Half: 1, PENN, Gray 5 (Salese) 67:54.
