Senior Day special — Penn field hockey defeats Brown to keep Ivy championship hopes alive

This game meant a lot to all of Penn field hockey: it was the team’s last home game and a conference championship bid was hanging in the balance. For five seniors, however, this game held even a little more meaning.

On Saturday, the Quakers celebrated their Senior Day for five players — forward Rachel Mirkin, midfielder Karen Seid, midfielder Sofia Palacios, back Paige Meily, and back Kelsey Mendell — by defeating Brown 1-0. 

Mirkin was able to get Penn (9-7, 5-1 Ivy) on the board early after she tapped in a bouncing ball in the box just after over three minutes of play. That would end up being the only goal scored by either team. While the final score indicates a competitive match, it was Penn who dominated possession on both sides of the ball. The Quakers took 31 shots and 15 corners compared to just two total shots and one corner for Brown (6-9, 1-5).

“I think we were just really gritty in the circle,” Mirkin said. “Some of our corner shots didn’t go exactly as planned, but people came and still tried to get a touch on it.”

Mendell added on to Mirkin's sentiment.

“I think we just brought a relentlessness that we haven’t brought prior to this game,” she added. “We just never gave up. Everyone was playing for the seniors, but also the team as well.”

For Seid, there came an additional bonus in the win as her twin sister, senior Ellie Seid, plays for Brown.

“You know, this is the fourth year, we beat them every single time,” Seid said jokingly. “It’s just really special seeing her on the other side, and it’s exciting just to have the opportunity to celebrate this senior day and have her escort me out. There’s nothing more I would wish for it to be on this special day.”

While happy to get the win on such a special day, the Quakers also know they still have one more very important game to play in the regular season. The Red and Blue will travel to No. 5 Princeton (12-4, 5-1) next weekend, and with both teams tied for second place in the conference standings, a Penn win could be the key result the team needs to secure an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.