Field Hockey guided by 'The Art of Eng'

Sun Tzu once said: "Every battle is won before it is fought."

Or was it Penn field hockey midfielder Rachel Eng?

At least, those are the sentiments she echoed as the Quakers (2-8, 1-2 Ivy) get set to face No. 1 Maryland (11-1) on Sunday at College Park and then No. 17 Drexel on Wednesday.

"It really all comes down to the warm-ups and our pregames, working together in the pregaming and talking together and communicating - as soon as we're putting on the uniform and walking onto the field," Eng said.

But if Tzu's words ring true, the prognosis for the Quakers does not look good.

The Terrapins have been juggernauts this year, with an upset over then-No. 1 Wake Forest during their current six-game winning streak. Drexel has also played well as of late, suffering just one loss in its past six games - a 2-1 nail-biter to No. 7 James Madison.

Penn fully understands the odds it faces.

"If we feel we are in the game and really competing with Maryland and we're giving them a good match, we'll be satisfied," Eng said.

The Quakers hope to use solid defense, especially against Maryland free hits, to generate offense.

At the very least, the Red and Blue have experience taking on talented teams. Earlier this season, they kicked off their best stretch of play in a tough 2-1 loss against Villanova, a top-25 threat. Following that game, Penn ended its seven-game slide with a shutout victory against Harvard.

The Quakers see these games as another opportunity to propel them to the next level, a plateau that Eng feels the squad has yet to reach this year. Head coach Val Cloud agrees with that assessment.

"It might be a wakeup call for them to see how a good team plays," Cloud said.

If Penn can play Maryland close and parlay that confidence into the Ivy season, it will take away much more than just another 'L.'

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