F. Hockey erupts for six goals

Scoring goals may be the most elementary part of a sport like field hockey, but over the course of this season, they have been tough to come by for the Quakers.

Last night, however, Penn quickly broke from this mold, rolling to a 6-1 victory over crosstown rival La Salle.

After deciding to focus on scoring, the Quakers quickly realized their initial goal.

Just 1:03 into the game, Aparna Wilder took a pass from senior captain Nikki Batiste and deposited it into the back of the cage.

"We set a goal to score in the first 10 minutes of the game, and that motivated [us] for the rest of the game," Batiste said.

With the one goal in hand, Penn continued its offensive onslaught.

After receiving a pass from Anna Mitchell, Batiste stickhandled her way through a slew of defenders to score Penn's second tally. She also contributed an assist to Kylee Jakobowski for the Quakers' third of the game.

Four minutes later, Jakobowski returned a rebound to the back of the La Salle net to send Penn into halftime with a 4-0 lead.

Jakobowski also contributed her third point of the game in the second half off an assist to fellow junior midfielder Hayley Lofink.

But midway through the second half, Jakobowski left the game because of an injured elbow. She will go to the trainer tomorrow to determine her status for Sunday's matchup against Cornell.

While the offense steamrolled throughout the game, the defense was strong, as well -- keeping a shutout going until the final two minutes.

Led by senior captain Monique Horshaw, the Quakers stifled the Explorers offense, not allowing a legitimate shot on goal for almost 20 minutes in the first half.

"Mo Horshaw has been awesome for us," Batiste said. She has been the key for the defense every game."

Sophomore goalie Carrie Wilhelm also contributed to the defensive effort by holding the Explorers scoreless. The only La Salle goal was scored on backup Emily Fox.

Despite Penn's dominance for the majority of the game, La Salle controlled the tempo for the last 10 minutes.

With just 2:31 left, La Salle's Jami Wilus sliced across the front of the Penn net to deposit the Explorers' first goal since Sept. 9.

"We played with a lot of energy, but at the end we lost our focus defensively," Cloud said. "But that's OK when you're up 5-0."

After their convincing victory at Franklin Field last night, the Quakers next face Cornell (5-2, 2-0) in the team's second Ivy matchup of the year.

"We need to have a hard practice tomorrow," Horshaw said. "We played alright tonight, but we need to play harder against Cornell. We need to keep offensive-minded."

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