Ever since coach Val Cloud changed her offensive formation, the Penn field hockey team rattled off an improbable string of four straight victories to salvage what was a dismal-looking season. But against No. 11 Princeton on Saturday, no scheme could save the Quakers, who were overmatched early en route to a 5-0 loss in Princeton, N.

PRINCETON, N.J. --- In a game that saw as many near-misses as breakaway opportunities, Penn men's soccer senior captain John Elicker was privy to the only well-directed strike. Too bad it struck him in the face. "I'm still feeling that right now," Elicker said.

After the Penn field hockey team dropped its overall record to 2-10 with a 6-1 loss to Drexel on Oct. 15 , coach Val Cloud and the Quakers looked like they were ready to give up on the season. Cloud never could have imagined that going into the last game of the season, the Red and Blue would have a chance to finish tied for second in the Ivy League.

Keiffer Garton shined under the lights of Princeton Stadium on Friday night. In his first career start, the sophomore signalcaller rushed for one touchdown and threw for another, propelling the Quakers to a 14-9 victory over the Tigers on national television.

The only thing standing between Brown and its first Ivy League championship since 2005 is Yale. Sure, there's a pesky road trip to Dartmouth next weekend and then a home date with Columbia on Nov. 22, but those two teams are a combined 1-7 in Ivy play (1-13 overall).

For Penn, it's a chance to stay relevant in the Ivy League title race. For Princeton, it's the first step of many to salvage a winning season. If you listen to Roger Hughes describe it, tonight's 7:04 p.m. matchup between his Tigers (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) and the Quakers (4-3, 3-1) is more like an audition.

Goalkeeper Drew Healy recorded his tenth shutout of the season, tying a program record, but the Penn men's soccer couldn't manage anything against Princeton's stingy defense. The two squads played to a scoreless tie in Princeton, N.J., on Saturday afternoon, meaning that the Quakers (10-2-4, 4-1-1 Ivy) can secure the conference crown with a win over Harvard next weekend.

Despite being already eliminated from Ivy League title contention, the women's soccer team was determined to upset rival Princeton in both teams' final game of the year. But while the Quakers were able to push the match to two overtimes, a header by Princeton senior Taylor Numann off a corner in the 106th minute gave the Tigers a 2-1 win.

Coming into this season, Princeton senior Sarah Peteraf had scored only four career goals, two each in her freshman and sophomore campaigns. But this year, Peteraf has transitioned from a full-time midfielder to a hybrid midfielder-forward, and the results speak for themselves.

Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy has accomplished a lot in his time at Rhodes Field. He recorded a program-best seven consecutive shutouts, and he has nine on the year, one shy of that school mark. But he has never won an Ivy League title. On Saturday, the senior can get one step closer to achieving that when the Quakers face off against archrival Princeton.

With her team out of contention for the Ivy League championship, Harvard volleyball coach Jen Weiss has the group ready to play spoiler. "We want to cause havoc up there for that first place," she said. The Crimson have a perfect chance to do so with second-place Princeton and third-place Penn (10-11, 6-3 Ivy) visiting Cambridge, Mass.

For a moment, Marc Hembrough's 47 year-old body betrayed him. The Penn football team would receive the ball first against Dartmouth, and fired up, Hembrough ran over for some chest bumps with the squad. But padless and with his playing days 25 years behind him, Hembrough thought better of his move and turned off to his right, narrowly missing the Penn players in full gear.

On her first road trip as an NCAA athlete, Madison Wojciechowski found a unique way of bonding with her new volleyball coach, Kerry Carr. Carr was sitting in her usual seat at the front of the bus when a series of familiar noises erupted nearby. No time was wasted figuring out that somebody had been passing gas, but the culprit was hard to identify.

The Ivy League gets about as many All-American transfers as it does national championships. But this offseason, the Penn basketball team found one of the former. Sort of. Sophomore Zachary Gordon, a transfer from Yeshiva University, was a first-teamer on the Jewish Sports Review All-American team for Divisions II and III.

The benefits of sports spectatorship are usually cheap pleasures - triumph, camaraderie, pride and the catharsis of revenge. Rarely are fans rewarded materially for their love of the game, though Abner's Cheesesteaks would beg to differ. But for the Quakers faithful who can't wait for the next 100-point game, the Athletic Department has introduced Red & Blue Rewards, aimed at giving fans concrete incentives to attend Penn sports events.

You probably haven't heard of Megan Cassidy or Kelly McCarthy. Then again, you probably haven't heard of many players on the women's soccer team. That's because coach Darren Ambrose carries 29 players on his roster, even though only 11 can be on the field at once.

It's been a very busy week for Penn's medical staff. The Quakers' misfortunes last Saturday against Brown extended far beyond dropping their first Ivy League game of the season. As the fourth quarter came to a close, several important members of the team watched from the sidelines on crutches.