Field hockey hasn’t forgotten

Make no mistake about it, the Penn field hockey team is out for revenge.

The last time the Quakers traveled to New York to play Ivy League rival Columbia in 2007, they came away with a 1-0 overtime loss.

The game-winning goal came off a reverse-stick tip in front of the cage just eight minutes into the overtime period .

“It was a sloppy, questionable goal at the end that none of us were happy about,” senior co-captain Katie Rose said.

With that loss in the back of their minds, the Quakers will make the trip to Wien Stadium for a rematch Sunday.

“Basically the team did not play well then,” coach Val Cloud said. “This team will go up there and play hockey. The result, I can’t tell you, but I know they’ll give it their best shot.”

Penn will have a good chance to improve in the Ivy standings as it’s tied with what Cloud called a “very beatable.” Columbia team.

Columbia (5-6, 1-2 Ivy) is coming off a back-and-forth game against Hofstra, which it eventually dropped, 4-2.

As Penn comes in looking to attack, it will face Lions’ junior back Hannah Smith, who is tied for tops in the Ivies with three defensive saves this season.

Smith will have to anchor her squad’s back line if she hopes to defend Penn’s leading scorers, midfielders Sarah Hasson and Laurel McGarvie, both of whom have five goals on the season.

If the Quakers (4-9, 1-2) want to come away with the win, they will have to obtain more penalty corners than they have as of late. Penn averages 4.7 corners a game, while Columbia averages 7.1.

At the same time the Quakers will have confidence in the cage. Sophomore goalkeeper Kieran Sweeney is coming off a career-high 13 saves against No. 12 Drexel Wednesday night.

The Quakers also made a lineup adjustment against the Dragons that seemed to work in the first half, when they kept the score tied at one. Rose, who usually takes the field at center midfield, switched with Hasson to play the right side.

In addition, senior midfielder Kelsey Tahan was injured this week. Although she was on the sideline in order to be ready in time for this weekend’s matchup, the co-captain came off the bench to net the Quakers’ only goal Wednesday.

“She’s got a strained hamstring, and we didn’t want her to play until she’s ready for Ivy games,” Cloud said.

The rest did her good, as the Morristown, N.J., native is indeed ready for the rematch in the Big Apple.

“It won’t come down to one goal like [2007],” Tahan said.

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