PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team continues its Ivy League schedule, hosting No. 12 Harvard on Saturday at noon. The Quakers then return to action the next day with a visit from City Six rivals Temple at 1 p.m.
Penn enters its game against Harvard with a 4-4 record and a 1-0 Ivy mark after a 1-0 victory at Cornell and a 2-1 loss in strokes to No. 12 Syracuse last weekend.
This Weekend's Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 29
No. 12 HARVARD (7-1) at PENN (4-4)
Around the Ivy League
Princeton (1-0) at Yale (0-1), Friday at 6 p.m.
Brown (0-1) at Dartmouth (0-1), Saturday at 12 p.m.
Cornell (0-1) at Columbia (1-0), Sunday at 12 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 30
TEMPLE (2-6) at PENN (4-4)
Marketing Events
Penn Athletics has multiple marketing events planned for each of the Quakers' home games this season. On Saturday, Penn will hold its Believe in Brynn game to raise awareness for Rett syndrome. The team will also host the Philadelphia Girls on the Run to promote transformational physical activity-based youth development for girls in 3rd through 8th grade.
On Sunday, Penn will prepare for Breast Cancer Awareness month with its Pink Game. Additionally, the program will welcome back alumnae from its 1983, 1988, and 1993 Ivy League championship teams, as well as recent Penn field hockey alumnae. As always, admission to Ellen Vagelos Field is free.
The Ivy League on ESPN
Both of this weekend's games, 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 NFHCA Coaches poll. North Carolina (No. 1), Princeton (No. 5), Syracuse (No. 11), Harvard (No. 12), Iowa (No. 13), Saint Joseph's (No. 14), Delaware (No. 19) and Wake Forest (No. 21) have all received votes as of the Sept. 25 edition of the rankings.
*Penn finished third in the Ivy League last season, posting a 4-3 conference record.
*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.
*Senior Rachel Mirkin has posted her best goal-scoring season with Penn, tallying three goals. Two of those goals were game-winners, 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 six points.
*Penn's team captains this year include Paige Meily, Alexa 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.
*Meily scored her first goal of her career against Drexel, converting on a penalty stroke.
*Schneck has recorded three assists this season and is a key member of the Quakers' attacking unit. She has eight goals and nine assists for her career. Schneck has five career game-winning goals after scoring the game-winner against Cornell last weekend.
*Freshman forward Julia Russo scored her first goal for Penn against No. 12 Syracuse. She leads the Quakers on shots with 15.
*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 two shutouts this season, four in career, and has made 41 saves over eight games this season.
Concerning the Crimson
Harvard holds a 7-1 record and defeated Yale 6-0 in their Ivy opener. They were ranked No. 12 in the latest edition of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Top 25.
This is Penn's 42nd meeting with Harvard, with the Crimson holding a 22-17-2 record over the Quakers. Penn has won four of the last six meetings between the two teams, however, Harvard has taken the past two matchups. Two of the past three meetings have been decided in overtime, with Penn and Harvard each winning one.
Touching on Temple
Temple enters the weekend with a 2-6 record. This is the 40th meeting between Penn and Temple, dating back to 1975. The Owls hold a 26-13 series lead, but Penn has won the past three games.
Penn and Temple met in the first round of the 1983 NCAA Championship, with Temple taking a narrow 1-0 win.
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