The Ivy League field hockey title will now be decided with a Penn vs. Princeton showdown on Friday after the Quakers' took down Brown, 4-1, on Saturday.
Penn is a position to become co-champions if it beats 5-1 Princeton in the final game of each teams' season.
"Every game is a challenge and I knew Brown was going to be tough," senior Nicole Black said. "But at the same time we knew the importance of the game and that it was a crucial game to win if we wanted a chance to be in contention against Princeton. Losing was not an option."
The contest against the winless Brown squad was tied 1-1 at the end of the first half. Rachel Eng scored with eight minutes left in the first and then Brown responded off a corner three minutes later.
The team was not surprised about being tied at the half; it was disappointed in its own play.
Brown outshot Penn 11-7 in the first frame.
"Everyone knew that they really had to step up their play in the second half," coach Val Cloud said.
To start the second half, Black extended her team leading goals scored by netting two in a row to put the Quakers up 3-1.
Captain Jamie Calahan added the final goal just for good measure, improving Penn's record to 8-8 overall and 4-2 against the Ivy League.
Margaretha Ehret had 3 assists, tying the single-game high in program history.
"We wanted to control the game, playing with the same speed as we have all year to wear down Brown's defense and I think we did that in the second half," Calahan said.
The Quakers were able to gain the edge in shots, allowing Brown four, while taking nine themselves.
Penn goalie Alanna Butera played well, making three saves, before freshman goalie Sara Heinze saw action in the last ten minutes of the contest.
Princeton will come to Franklin Field riding a seven game winning streak and the hopes of clinching the Ivy League championship with a win. A Penn victory will guarantee a co-championship and could pave the way for Cornell and Harvard to gain a share in the league title as well if they win their respective games.
"My team is experienced enough to know how to be ready to play from the start against Princeton," Cloud said. The Tigers "are not the same team as Brown and if we start slow we will be the ones left in the dust."
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