After losing its first four games, the Penn field hockey team has finally started to gel, winning three in a row. Considering the Quakers' next opponent, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Tonight Penn (3-4) will host No. 21 Villanova (8-2) in a game matching two hot teams.
The Wildcats are on a six-game winning streak of their own, with their last loss a 7-2 thumping at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina. During this span, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 25-8.
While the Quakers' streak has not been as impressive, they have scored nine goals in those three wins, including five against Dartmouth Saturday.
"It's taken awhile, but we've finally started to hit our stride," coach Val Cloud said. "We'll see what we can do [against Villanova], but our scrimmages have been very evenly matched in practice."
To maintain this momentum, the Quakers must slow down the Wildcats' fast attack, which is led by Lauren Wuzzardo. The freshman has nine goals and two assists, which places her 11th in D-I for points per game.
"They're very aggressive and strong, with a lot of speed," Cloud said. "We have to play strong with the ball so that we don't give it up. And we must play good defense to slow them down."
Offensively, the Quakers must start strong, something they haven't mastered this year.
"We're going to have to come out sooner," Cloud said. "We haven't come out quickly off the blocks lately. . I think it will be a really important part to get momentum early to establish ourselves."
And maybe the cross-city rivalry will give the Quakers the early boost they've been looking for.
"There's a rivalry between all Philadelphia schools, but especially with Villanova since the game's always competitive," senior co-captain Jamie Calahan added. "There are a lot of recruits from the Philadelphia area that go to both schools, so we're all very familiar with each other."
Over 20 players from the Philadelphia region are on the two rosters, and they've seen some barnburners over the years.
In fact, for the last seven seasons the game has come down to the wire, with a margin of victory in each game of exactly one. The Quakers have only won two of those games, earning a pair of 3-2 victories in 2005 and 2003.
Getting another 'W' doesn't look any easier this time around.
