As the Cornell field hockey team visits Penn tomorrow, the squads find themselves facing two very different scenarios.
The Big Red (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) are tied for first among the Ivies and remain the only Ancient Eight team undefeated overall.
Meanwhile, the Quakers (1-4, 0-1) are tied for last, and only have a better overall record than one other Ivy team, Yale, at 0-2.
Last year the Quakers lost a close game in Ithaca, 2-1, with all three goals coming before halftime. Head coach Val Cloud described the loss as "tough."
Despite the four-game losing streak to start the year, the Quakers have a little bit of traction after their 1-0 win over Lafayette on Wednesday.
"I think our momentum will naturally transfer over to the Cornell game," Cloud said. "Of course it's a totally different opponent, but . we're in a good mental state."
The main reason for the Quakers' win was their execution on offense.
"We're starting to use our center back and our center midfielder," Cloud said. "When they get the ball they can disperse the ball well and that opens up the game."
The Quakers will need their offense to be as efficient as possible tomorrow, since Big Red goalkeeper Shannon Prescott has a .857 save percentage, and has only conceded two goals this season.
Offensively, Cornell will try to outrun the Quakers.
"Cornell's a tough team with a lot of speed, way more than Lafayette had," Cloud said. "We need to do a better job of marking . and we must not give up any cheap corners."
Cloud also said that her defense needs better awareness of opponents in the scoring circle.
While they might not be as fast as the league leaders, the Quakers will hope their homefield will help neutralize this disadvantage.
Franklin Field uses Sprin
Turf, unlike most other field hockey stadiums, which use artificial turf. Despite its name, it slows down field hockey balls, an advantage for the slower Quakers.
No wonder Penn has have a five-game home winning streak dating back to September 2006.
They hope it won't be broken tomorrow.
