Val Cloud should be happy.
Her field hockey team just completed a thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Delaware on Wednesday, which she called one of the best wins in program history.
But with a game against perennial Ivy doormat Columbia looming, there's one thing she just can't get out of her mind.
"Something that we're not proud of is that we gave them their first ever Ivy win [in 1999]," Cloud said. "I still remember that game, and how embarrassed I was for our team."
The Quakers have since righted the ship, and have won their last five against Columbia. They don't figure to break that trend on Sunday. But first, they'll have to take out a less familiar opponent in Drexel (7-7, 3-2 CAA).
"[Against Delaware] our play went to a whole new level," senior Meghan Rose said Wednesday. "We'll definitely play well against Drexel. And playing . [Columbia] is going to be huge."
The Quakers (6-5, 2-1 Ivy) may have a tough time against the stingy Columbia defense, which ranks ninth in the country in goals against average.
On the other side of the ball, the Lions (6-5, 1-2) don't have one scoring threat - five players have netted either three or four goals on the season.
And after already losing to league leader Harvard, Penn can't afford to lose any more Ancient Eight games.
But the team isn't looking past Drexel.
"I think the Drexel game is going to be important," Cloud said, "because we're coming off a big win and I don't want to look ahead to Columbia. We can't let down against Drexel. For our own sake we're going to have to come out and play.
"I respect [Drexel] a lot, and we're not taking them lightly at all."
Despite Cloud's designation of the Dragons as "cross-street rivals," they have a limited history with the Quakers. Since 1973 they've played eight times, with a 28-year break between 1974 and 2002. The Quakers lead the series, 6-2.
And the Quakers are 8-3 all-time against the Lions, even if loss No. 1 stands out more than any other for Cloud.
But she says that the Quakers' sixth straight win over Columbia will be difficult nonetheless.
"They're extremely competitive," she said. "Like here last year, we only won [3-2]. We're not going to take them for granted."
