PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team travels to No. 16 Iowa to play the Hawkeyes on Friday, the fourth team the Quakers will face ranked within the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Top 25 this season. Penn will then return to Philadelphia to host Drexel at Ellen Vagelos Field on Sunday.
The Quakers will fly to Iowa City with a 2-2 record on the season after defeating Villanova, 2-1 and losing to No. 15 Saint Joseph's, 4-0 last weekend.
This Weekend's Schedule
Friday, Sept. 14
PENN (2-2) at No. 16 IOWA (5-1)
Sunday, Sept. 16
DREXEL (4-2) at PENN (2-2)
The Ivy League on ESPN
Sunday's game against Drexel, as well as all home field hockey games and Ivy League away games, will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.
Previewing Penn
*Penn has set up one of the toughest schedules in program history, with eight of its 17 games coming against opponents ranked in the current Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches poll. North Carolina (No. 1), Princeton (No. 5), Syracuse (No. 12), Delaware (No. 13), Saint Joseph's (No. 14), Iowa (No. 16), Harvard (No. 18), and Wake Forest (No. 24) have all received votes as of the Sept. 11 edition of the rankings.
*Penn returns seven starters and 17 letter winners from the 2017 squad and welcome nine freshmen to the roster in 2018. Among the returners are two All-Ivy selections: senior Paige Meily and junior Alexa Schneck. Both players are two-time All-Ivy selections.
*Penn's team captains this year include Meily, Schneck, and senior Sofia Palacios.
*Palacios made her season debut against Saint Joseph's after returning from injury. Palacios has nine career goals and five career assists.
*Meily recorded her first assist on the season, providing the pass for Mirkin's game-winner against Villanova. Meily tallied five assists in her junior year and seven in her sophomore year, a total of 13 for her career.
*Schneck has recorded two assists this season and is a key member of the Quakers' attacking unit. She has seven goals and eight assists for her career. Schneck has four career game-winning goals and is looking for her first goal this season.
*Freshman forwards Julia Russo and Maddy Fagan have broken into the Penn starting lineup. Russo and Fagan have three and one shots on the season, respectively, and are both looking to open their Penn goal-scoring accounts.
*Senior Rachel Mirkin has matched her season best goal-scoring return with Penn, scoring two goals. Both goals were game-winning goals, in a 1-0 2OT victory over No. 14 Wake Forest and a 2-1 win over Villanova. Mirkin has two career game winning goals at Penn and currently leads the team with four points.
*Sophomore Erin Kelly scored her first goal of the season and second of her career against Villanova. Kelly has cemented herself as a vital member of the Quakers' corner unit.
*Junior Ava Rosati established herself as Penn's starting goalkeeper midway through last season. She has one shutout this season, the third of her career, and has made 20 saves over four games.
Previewing Iowa
The Hawkeyes enter their matchup with Penn with a 5-1 record, including wins over Wake Forest and Dartmouth. Iowa's only loss so far this season came against No. 2 North Carolina, a tight game that ended 2-1 in overtime.
This is just the Quakers' second meeting with Iowa. Penn lost narrowly last season to the Hawkeyes, 3-2.
Previewing Drexel
Drexel takes a short journey down 33rd Street to Ellen Vagelos Field with a 4-2 record. The Dragons opened their season losing 8-1 to No. 7 Virginia but won their next four games. Last weekend, Drexel lost to Yale, 4-2.
Penn and Drexel are set for their 16th all-time matchup. The Quakers hold a 9-6 series lead and have won the past three matchups.
#FightOnPenn
