F. Hockey set to open Ivy slate

After 70 minutes against Cornell last season, the Penn field hockey team was heading for overtime and teetering on the brink of a 1-5 start.

But Kathryn Rose deflected a penalty-corner shot into the net and with it, the Quakers' season back into Ivy League relevance.

Excuse Rose if she's feeling that a bit of deja vu may be in order this weekend.

The Red and Blue have lost five straight, but they view those matchups as mere warmups for the conference slate, which starts with a visit to Ithaca, N.Y., tomorrow.

"I hope we can get it together before Saturday," Penn coach Val Cloud said after her squad's 2-0 loss to Lafayette on Wednesday.

That getting it together begins with jumpstarting the offense. Officially, the Quakers are averaging 1.58 goals per game, fourth in the Ancient Eight (Cornell is third, at 1.71), but they've managed just one tally over their past two games.

There have been two primarily culprits, Cloud and her players have said. It's not as if the offense completely void of skill. Rather, Penn will make two or three sharp passes but then be unable to go tape-to-tape on the fourth, often turning the ball over.

"Find that secret - step it up at the right time," Cloud said.

Then there's problem No. 2, one that has plagued many teams over the years.

"Our passing game is great, but we're not playing a full 70 minutes to the best of our ability," senior co-captain Meredith Moran said.

In response to the latter issue, perhaps, Cloud plans to infuse more youth into her lineup tomorrow. She already lauded the play of freshman midfielder Britney Van Valkenburg, and more underclassmen should be in the mix against Cornell as she searches for answers.

The Big Red -- coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses - will hold a ceremony to dedicate its new field before tomorrow's game.

The Quakers, though, hope to bring Cornell's celebration to an unceremonious halt, and, in the process, get their own season back on track.

Copy Editor Naomi Tarlow contributed reporting to this article.

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