The execution of a penalty corner in field hockey is a bit like that of a field goal on the gridiron. In lieu of snap, kick and hold, there is pass, stop and shoot.
The team that plays the percentages will give its best offensive threat that shot, and Margaretha Ehret is as close to a short-corner specialist as Penn can get.
Ehret has taken 15 shots on goal; the remaining Quakers have 11 combined. The junior plays a defensive position in the midfield, but when called on, she finishes off penalty corners at a furious rate, especially for someone who is worried about being pegged as a ball hog.
"That's probably the easiest part of corners," Ehret said of the shot on goal. "I have to give credit to the other people that are involved. . It's a lot of people working there."
No kidding. The three-step process starts with a pass; the first player, standing behind the back line, pushes the ball into the large half-circle surrounding the net after a referee whistles. She will try to find a teammate waiting outside of that circle, who stops the ball dead. Then the striker - often Ehret - swoops in and takes the direct shot, which Ehret said has had the best record of success for the Quakers.
Ehret has scored three of Penn's five goals so far this year; two have come off corners, with assists from the Meghan Rose-Jamie Calahan tandem each time.
Fouls committed in the defending team's circle can trigger penalty corners, or "short corners," as they are known, for the attackers. They offer the best scoring chances of the game.
With Penn down by a pair at halftime against Harvard on Saturday, the Quakers refocused on drawing more penalties - and thus, more shots for Ehret.
"We only had like two corners [to that point], but with the two corners we had, I came up with three shots," the Wyndmoor, Pa. native said. "As often as we can, get into the circle, draw a foul and get that corner."
But set plays aside, all of Penn's goals, Ehret's or otherwise, share a common trait.
"Right place at the right time," she said.
Pass, stop, shoot. Right place, right time. Winning and losing never sounded so straightforward.
