Last year, Penn field hockey’s opponents probably had one plan to keep the ball out of their net: find Alexa Hoover and keep the ball as far away from her as possible.

Penn field hockey took a trip to the Empire State this past weekend to take on Ivy rival Cornell and No. 1 Syracuse in what is one of the toughest weekends on their schedule.

Upstate New York has served as a notable battleground in American history. That legacy will continue this weekend as Penn arms itself for two of the hardest encounters it will face this season.

This Saturday, it was the Sophia Palacios show. The sophomore attack had the best game of her young career, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win in double overtime.

It probably wasn’t exactly how Penn Field Hockey wanted the game to go, but hey. A win is a win. After rolling to a 6-0 win over new program LIU-Brooklyn (0-3) on Friday, the Quakers (3-1) made the trip to City Avenue on Sunday to take on crosstown rival St.

It was a tale of two contests for Penn field hockey this weekend. After splitting their first two games last weekend, the Quakers handily defeated LIU-Brooklyn on Friday, but needed an extra frame to do the same to Saint Joe’s on Sunday.

A week into the year, it's time to say definitively who is good and who is not. What has impressed you most so far from Penn Athletics?

The final boxscore never seems to tell the whole story. That was certainly the case for Penn field hockey in both games played this weekend: a dominant 2-0 victory over Lehigh as well as a hard-fought and well-contested effort in a 6-2 loss versus UNC. On Friday, the Quakers (1-1) hosted Lehigh (1-2) in the Red and Blue’s season opener.

There are some things in this world that I’ll never understand: quantum physics, rainbows, Amy Gutmann’s ability to defy age and how Penn field hockey remains criminally underrated each and every year.

If anyone thought Penn field hockey’s success in 2015 was a fluke, they’re more than ready to tell you otherwise in 2016. After achieving a 13-3 record last season and finishing tied for second place in the Ivy League after a heartbreaking overtime loss to rival and Ivy champ Princeton, the Quakers look poised to make a jump into the national spotlight this season.

Some people just live to help others. Last year for Penn field hockey, that statement applied to nobody better than Elizabeth Hitti, whose 18 assists in her senior year saw her break both the career and single-season school records in the category.

The challenge for the Quakers is two-fold this weekend. Not only are they coming up against a pair of top-tier teams in Lehigh and North Carolina — their opponents are already into their seasons.

As far as bitter losses go, this one was a zero on the PH scale. Penn field hockey came into the final game of its 2015 season looking to do something it hadn’t accomplished in over a decade: win a share of an Ivy League title. However, one crushing overtime later, the Red and Blue were forced to settle with a frustrating end to the season.

I’ve had the privilege of writing for the Daily Pennsylvanian for two full years now, and one particular date is seared into my brain: November 7, 2015. That particular day, undoubtedly, was the most entertaining of my Penn career thus far.

The Red and Blue’s field hockey team had a bittersweet 2015. After barreling through nationally ranked opponents weekly, the Quakers seemed poised to take back the Ivy League championship that had eluded them since 2004. However, the season finale against Princeton did not feature the end result that the team wanted.

Well, this one stings.

When Penn field hockey’s four seniors step onto the field for their last regular season game this Saturday, things will be different.