Junior midfielder Alexa Schneck was the star of the game for the Quakers, with two goals, including the game winner.
Credit: Varun SudunaguntaOne win. One loss. That was the record for both Penn and Dartmouth in Ivy League field hockey play before Saturday's showdown.
But after playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history and coming off of a narrow 2-1 loss to No. 12 Harvard last weekend, Penn found its footing again. For the fourth straight year, the Quakers took down the Big Green, this time in double overtime by a score of 3-2.
This was no straight-shot win for the Quakers (6-5, 2-1 Ivy), however. Sophomore forward Erin Quinn scored her first goal of the season in the 34th minute, nailing the ball to the back of the net from inside the circle after a cross from junior midfielder Alexa Schneck. The Red and Blue put significant pressure on the Big Green (4-5, 1-2) throughout the first half, totaling six shots compared to Dartmouth’s three.
Dartmouth gained momentum in the second half, increasing its offensive pressure and coming back to score in the 53rd minute off a corner. Penn responded to Dartmouth’s game-tying goal soon after, with Schneck scoring on a penalty stroke in the 59th minute. A few minutes later and with the clock winding down, the Big Green leveled the score once again off another corner play.
With the score tied at the end of regulation, the Quakers and Big Green entered overtime for the third time in the last four years. Despite two shots from Dartmouth in the first period, the Quakers stood their ground to keep the score tied after the first overtime.
In the fourth minute of the second overtime, the Quakers were awarded with a penalty corner. Off a cross by senior forward Sophia Palacios, Schneck sent the ball rocketing into the back of the net, ending the game and lifting Penn to the win.
The Quakers’ win against the Big Green was hard-fought; they outshot Dartmouth 17-15 (10-9 for shots on goal) and had the advantage on corner plays, 7-5. The team battled through 70 minutes of regulation and 14 more of overtime play before Schneck's golden goal.
Schneck, who leads the team with six goals, was proud about the team’s composure despite Dartmouth’s aggressive tackling and strong defense.
“We're definitely in a must-win situation, so it was really nice to get the win," she said. "We worked really hard this week in practice, and I think we definitely needed [this win] as a confidence boost."
The Quakers will head to Lafayette (3-8) on Monday before resuming Ivy play with Columbia (6-4, 2-1) at home on Friday.
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