Two games into their season, the Penn field hockey team still has yet to get on the scoreboard.
The Quakers (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) looked to get off to a good start during opening weekend, but instead they fell to Syracuse 1-0 and then struggled in their second game against Ohio State, losing 4-0, at the Blue Hen Classic hosted by the University of Delaware.
But coach Val Cloud is taking these games as a learning experience.
"I'd expect them to make a lot of mistakes on opening weekend," Cloud said. "There's a lot of learning going on now."
Both Syracuse and Ohio State had already played their first games and had been practicing about two weeks longer than the Quakers, who, due to Ivy League Regulations, were only able to begin the season this weekend.
Against the Orange, the game was scoreless until the last 10 minutes when Syracuse senior Megan Stuart netted one off a rebound eight yards in front of the cage.
"The game was back and forth," Cloud said. "They had opportunities, and we had opportunities - they just got the goal at the end."
Both teams finished with identical shot totals, each taking eight during the game.
Penn junior Melissa Black led the team in that column, taking three.
Senior captain Nyssa Liebermann was happy with the way her team played their first game.
"We made some adjustments that we talked about during the week." Liebermann said. "We came out a lot hungrier, more aggressive and much more threatening."
The Quakers looked for redemption, though, during their next game.
The team held off the Buckeyes until the second half, but shortly after halftime, Ohio State scored two goals within two minutes.
Ohio State "dominated the game offensively, but we expected them to do that," Cloud said. "But I'm proud of how [we] persevered and never gave-up, even though [Ohio St.] had some superior players."
The Buckeyes took 29 shots, of which 22 were on goal, while the Quakers were only able to get off three shots the entire game.
Ohio State's Yesenia Luces, named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, led the team with seven shots.
Liebermann cited discipline and cohesion as two areas that the team needed to work on.
"We played that way for all but probably eight minutes of the game," Liebermann said. "When we dropped that, that's when they scored against us."
Penn senior goalie Elizabeth Schlossberg made a total of 26 saves throughout the weekend and allowed five goals. On offense, Black tallied five shots in the two games.
Despite the record on paper, Cloud was pleased with her team's performance over the weekend. She mentioned that even when the team was down by four against Ohio State, it still put in a lot of effort.
"I'd rather play somebody good than somebody we can beat," she said.
