Maureen Flynn. Courtney Martin. Bess Freedlander. It's been a while since those names have graced the ears of the Penn field hockey faithful, but it's been even longer since the Quakers have won three games in a row.
Tonight at Villanova Stadium, it's the trio of Kylee Jakobowski, Jackie Lange and Cecelia Carriquiry who will attempt to lead the mercurial Quakers (2-4, 0-2 Ivy League) to their first three-game winning streak since the Flynn-captained edition turned the trick in Oct. 1998.
It won't be easy. Villanova (4-5, 1-1 Big East) has shaken aside its inconsistent non-conference performance and looks to be coming together as the season enters October. After dropping their Big East opener, 2-1, to a Connecticut side they had outplayed considerably, Coach Joanie Q. Milhous' unit responded with Saturday's 5-0 drubbing of Rutgers.
The Wildcats are led by junior Christina Lugones. The versatile forward was named Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Week after recording a goal and three assists in the Rutgers game, raising her team-high scoring total to 13.
Lugones is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign that propelled her to the STX/NFHCA Regional All-American and the All-Big East Second Teams.
A result of Lugones' breakout season is the emergence of junior Lisa Lisausky. While opposing defenses have smothered Villanova's decorated forward, Lisausky has proven a reliable weapon out of the midfield. With six to her credit, she leads the Wildcats in goals scored, racking up twice as many as anyone else on the team. In Saturday's win, Lisausky tallied a pair of goals.
In net for the Wildcats is senior captain Meghan Helwig. Last season's Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, she has helped to steady a Villanova team that was inconsistent in the early stages of the season. Following an implosion against Ohio State in the Big East-Big Ten Tournament that saw the senior give up four goals in 45 minutes, Helwig has shown steady improvement -- culminating Saturday with her first shutout of the season.
"It's going to be a tough one. They've got that crazy turf over there," said Penn coach Val Cloud, referring to Villanova Stadium's unusual Astro Play synthetic surface -- which may serve as a potential Wildcats' advantage. "It should be a close match."
Penn holds the all-time series lead between the two teams with a 10-6-2 advantage, though the Wildcats have taken the last two contests including last year's 2-1 victory at Franklin Field.
Game time is 7 p.m. tonight at Villanova Stadium's Goodreau Field.
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