PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team looks to ride its hot streak as the Quakers continue Ivy League play in the Big Apple against Columbia on Friday at 6 p.m. Penn will then have a moment of respite before returning to Ellen Vagelos Field on Sunday to take on No. 11 Delaware at noon.
 
Penn is 5-6 on the season and 2-1 in Ivy League play after defeating Dartmouth and Drexel in overtime last weekend. After an 0-5 start, the Quakers have won five of their last six and sit in third place in the Ivy League standings.
 
GAME 12: Penn (5-6, 2-1 Ivy) at Columbia (5-6, 1-2 Ivy)
Friday, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | New York, N.Y. | Live Stats | ESPN+
 
Series History
Penn leads 12-11 | Last meeting: 2-0 win in 2018
 
The Lions have caused much vexation for Colleen Fink's Quakers over her ten years as head coach with the program. In nine matchups, the Lions are 6-3 against Penn and have taken four victories in overtime. That said, Penn has won two of its last three games games against the Lions, most recently with goals by Madison Jiranek and Alexa Schneck leading the Quakers to a 2-0 victory last year in Philadelphia.
 
GAME 13: Penn (5-6, 2-1 Ivy) vs. No. 11 Delaware (8-3, 1-0 CAA)
Sunday, Oct. 20 | 12 p.m. | Ellen Vagelos Field | Live Stats | ESPN+
 
Series History
Delaware leads 19-9 | Last meeting: 2-0 loss in 2018
 
The Blue Hens have held the advantage against the Quakers over the years. Delaware has won each of its past four games against the Quakers including each of the past three years. Penn has taken the Blue Hens down to the wire, with three one-goal defeats and a pair of one-goal wins in the teams' last six meetings.
 
Sophomore Surge
Earlier this week, Maddy Fagan was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week after recording two goals and two assists against Dartmouth and Drexel. She now leads Penn with 13 points and has either scored or assisted in five of Penn's last six games.
 
Clutch Gene
Elita van Staden converted a penalty stroke in overtime to propel Penn to a 2-1 victory over Drexel. The goal was the third of her freshman campaign and her second game-winner.
 
Opening Her Account
Meghan Ward found the back of the cage for the first time in her collegiate career with a pair of goals against Dartmouth. The freshman opened her account to tie the game at 1-1, then added her first career game-winner with a goal in overtime to give the Quakers a 4-3 victory. She is currently tied for third on the team with six points.
 
How May I Assist You?
After setting up two goals against Dartmouth, Erin Kelly now leads the team with four assists—a career high for the junior.
 
Dual Sport Star
Jiranek has been on a scoring tear so far this season. She and Fagan lead the team with five goals each. Jiranek—who also serves a key role on the women's lacrosse team—has scored five times from an efficient 15 shots this season.
 
Tearing Down the Ivy
A mainstay in the Penn lineup over the past four years, Schneck has been a thorn in the side of Ivy League opponents. In 24 Ancient Eight games, Schneck has totaled 34 points with 13 goals and eight assists. This season, she opened the scoring in Penn's 5-2 victory over Cornell and assisted Meghan Ward's OT game-winner against Dartmouth.
 
Scouting the Lions
Columbia is 5-6 entering the weekend and has lost each of its last three games, including a loss on strokes to Cornell and an 8-1 loss to No. 7 Princeton.
 
Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware enters the weekend 8-3 and is ranked at No. 11 in the latest edition of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Blue Hens opened CAA play with a 5-1 win over 25th-ranked Northeastern last weekend. Each of the Blue Hens' three losses have come to No. 3 Connecticut, No. 7 Princeton, and No. 12 Saint Joseph's.