Despite an 0-2 start to their season, Nyssa Liebermann and the Penn field hockey team have already proven to themselves that they can compete with whatever opponent they play. Now, faced with a matchup against Saint Joseph's tonight, they have another chance to prove it on the field.
"Playing against Syracuse and Ohio State, we saw that we can absolutely hold our own against tough teams," Liebermann said. "I think two things that we have to focus on as a team are being disciplined and working as a team unit."
The Quakers (0-2, 0-0) will have other advantages, too. They will finally be playing on their home turf, in front of a partisan crowd. And perhaps just as importantly, St. Joe's is not Ohio State - the No. 15 Buckeyes whipped Penn 4-0 on Sunday in Newark, Del.
But missing out on the rankings has not stopped the Hawks from mounting a torrid charge to open their season. They pounded Big East member Georgetown in their opener by a score of 3-0, and followed that up with a 5-0 demolition of Maryland-Baltimore County a week later. As proficient on the defensive end as the offensive one, the Hawks allowed a total of just three shots in their two matchups thus far.
The Hawks already boast five players who have netted goals this year, led by three from senior midfielder Nicole Antonini.
Despite the daunting start to this season, coach Val Cloud still feels optimistic about the learning curve her players are on.
"We just hope to get better with each game, and we'll learn tomorrow against St. Joe's too," she said. "It's always a good game every year. We may have won last year, but we've had overtimes; it's usually close."
She pointed to the team's defensive press and to corner-shot scoring as areas the team is focused on improving.
Tonight's matchup takes on added importance because Ivy powerhouse Harvard is lurking right around the corner. Last season, it was Penn's 1-0 loss to the Crimson in Cambridge, Mass., that set the tone for the team's subpar performance in the league.
But the Quakers do not see this game as just a tune-up - they want to win, even if it means taking playing time away from the team's underclassmen. "You go with your experience and make sure you can win the game," Cloud said.
The experienced side of the team has seen mixed results so far. Penn has gotten two strong performances from senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg, who has a chance to garner first-team All-Ivy honors for the third straight year.
But the Quakers offense has still produced only five shots on goal - and no scoring - in their first two games
As Liebermann pointed out, the game comes down to scoring: "We know it's there, we just have to put some balls in the back of the net."
Staff writer Krista Hutz contributed to this report
