Big Green leading scorer an 'explosive forward'

For Nyssa Liebermann, tomorrow's game at Dartmouth hits close to home.

In the Hanover, N.H., contest, Penn's senior captain will be pitted against Lizzie Bildner, the Big Green's leading scorer and the Penn forward's childhood friend.

"She's a pretty happy-go-lucky girl," Liebermann said. "I'm not going to go for her shins or anything. We get along fine and, I think, have a lot of respect for each other."

The captain also had immense praise for her longtime friend's abilities.

"She's a really explosive forward," Liebermann said.

The Red and Blue (3-6, 1-1 Ivy) will have its hands full with Bildner, who has six goals in the Big Green's six games.

But Quakers goalie Liz Schlossberg expressed confidence in her team's ability to contain the forward and her Dartmouth teammates.

"Our defense has been very strong," she said.

And Liebermann, who knows the Dartmouth standout better than anyone, is confident that the Quakers' defense can contain her.

"I'm not really worried about Lizzie," she said.

Assistant coach Jeremy Cook did, however, express concern about the team's offensive performance this season, adding that "the girls have to focus on getting scoring opportunities and capitalizing on them."

Despite Wednesday night's tough 3-2 loss at Villanova, junior points leader Meghan Rose remained optimistic about the Quakers' chances in the Ancient Eight.

"The Ivy League is still very open," Rose said. "We just need to put it in the goal."

Penn coach Val Cloud sized up the challenge her team faces tomorrow against the Big Green (1-5, 0-2).

"Going up there, we've always had a tough game," she said.

Sophomore midfielder Margaretha Ehret emphasized the importance of building on the Quakers' past success.

"Rutgers was a really big step for us," she said, referring to the Quakers' 2-1 overtime victory in New Brunswick, N.J., on Sunday.

Although she tried to stay positive about the team's accomplishments and Ivy League prospects, Ehret acknowledged that "we have had ups and downs. We haven't been able to play at our top level of performance."

All parties involved seem to agree that for the Quakers to steal a victory on the road tomorrow, their offense must improve. While they did net two scores against a strong Villanova team on Wednesday, the Quakers are still searching for

consistency.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.