Junior defender/midfielder Amy Lanouette attempts to steal the ball from Temple on Sep. 13.
Credit: Nathaniel SirlinIt’s 85 degrees on Sept. 13, 2024. Clear skies, pure sun. When the water jets out in clear white streams over the field hockey field, the players line up in their red and blue uniforms, and the ball makes a satisfying thwack when it comes into contact with the stick, it really hits — Penn field hockey is back. Plus, a Dick’s Sporting Goods blimp flying over the skies just makes the day extra fun.
Coming off of two losses against North Carolina and Louisville last week, Penn field hockey (1-2, 0-0) was hunting for its first win of the season. And on the green Ellen Vagelos Field, it found it.
The Quakers faced off against the Temple Owls (2-3, 0-0). From the first period, the Red and Blue locked in on defense. The Owls couldn’t keep it on Penn’s half of the field for long, as the defensive team applied the pressure and stole the ball. For most of the first quarter, Penn had possession and was on Temple’s side of the field, and that offensive drive paid off with a goal near the end of the quarter. With 39.8 seconds left of the first period, Penn made quick work down the field, dribbling long passes down the field, before getting a corner penalty by senior midfielder Kylie Wall. Through the corner kick, junior defender Philine Klas, assisted by junior midfielder Julia Ryan, shot it straight and high, sailing into the net.
The Quakers ended the first period on a high, and entered the second period with much of the same defensive pressure. But the Owls wouldn’t let them relax. In the second period, Temple started to find its offensive stride. By the end of the second period, Temple had shot seven times, with three of them on goal, compared to Penn’s three shot attempts, two of which were on goal. In the last minutes of the second period, Temple had two penalty corners. Each time Temple’s senior midfielder Tess Muller passed the ball infield and the Owls set up a shot, Penn’s defense was on high alert. Penn sophomore goalkeeper Ruby de Frees made several key saves, ending the game with a total of five saves while closing out the first half with a score of 1-0 to keep the Red and Blue in the lead.
Going into the third period, the intensity ramped up, with penalty corner after penalty corner by both teams and all shots being blocked. Coach Colleen Fink said of the mid-third quarter, “Our press was just getting broken too easily and we were giving too much space down the flanks.” Having two strikers down the middle left too much space near the sidelines, which Temple had capitalized on, so the team made adjustments and she thinks that “really helped change the momentum of the third quarter back for us.”
Indeed, it did. Penn got control of the ball and the players worked together to weave the ball down the field before placing it down the middle of the goal. It was a bit of a hustle as Temple defenders tried to get their sticks in, but senior attacker Bridget Skelly managed to shoot it in to widen Penn’s lead to 2-0.
But the Owls roared back into the game at the start of the fourth period, with Temple senior midfielder Devin Kinzel scoring a goal unassisted after a penalty a minute and a half into the period. After a few back-and-forths, the Quakers responded with a goal of their own just over 49 minutes into the game. Assisted by Ryan, Skelly got the ball a few feet away from the net and bounced it in, making the score 3-1. “That was necessary,” said Fink. “Because a 2-1 lead is not a comfortable position to be in … At the end of the day, tenacity is what wins games down at that attacking end.” Fink also added how happy she was for Skelly, who scored two goals out of Penn’s three: “[In] her senior year to be able to come in and just contribute like that on her home field, I hope that she feels really proud of herself.”
The game would end with that score, but not without another exciting piece of action. Penn had another chance for a final score, one after a Temple penalty corner hit rolled a little too far and missed the players. With the ball stolen by the Red and Blue, Penn’s players streaked down the field as Temple defenders ran to catch up. Although Penn shot the ball into the goal cage, it was deflected by Temple’s goalkeeper, junior Isabella Ospitale.
But a 3-1 victory is a victory still, and a victory hard-fought. The Penn bench was enthusiastic in its support for the players, and players, coaches, friends, and family alike shared in cheers and smiles as the game clock wound down to zero seconds. It’s refreshing to win, and to win at home, but the team is ready to look forward to the next game on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Saint Joseph’s.
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