PHILADELPHIA – This Sunday, the University of Pennsylvania field hockey team continues its season as the Quakers prepare to face their third ranked opponent of the season—traveling just north of the city to face No. 15 Saint Joseph's.
 
Penn is still in search of its first victory of the season after succumbing to a pair of second-half comebacks last weekend. The Quakers will look to for a statement win this weekend as they face a familiar foe just north of center city.
 
GAME 5: Penn (0-4, 0-0 Ivy) at No. 15 Saint Joseph's (4-1, 0-0 A-10)
Friday, Sept. 20 | 7 p.m. | Ithaca, N.Y. | Live Stats
 
Series History
Penn leads 14-8 | Last Matchup: 4-0 loss in 2018
 
Sunday's game marks the 23rd meeting between Penn and Saint Joseph's. The two teams first met in 1976—a game which saw Penn cruise to a 4-0 win—but did not play again until 1994. Head coach Colleen Fink has fared well against her alma mater, going 4-2 against the Hawks since joining Penn in 2010.
 
Jiranek's on Target
Madison Jiranek has enjoyed a strong start to her sophomore season, scoring three of Penn's four goals to lead the team with six points this season. The dual-sport athlete has been efficient in front of goal, scoring three times from four shots in her last two appearances. Jiranek's two goals against Villanova mark the first multi-goal game of her collegiate field hockey career.
 
Sophomore Surge for Banks
Gracyn Banks has started the season as a mainstay in the Penn lineup. She is the only player on the Penn team to have played all 60 minutes in each of the Quakers' four games this season and has eclipsed her freshman year total of 81 minutes played. Banks ranks second on the team with three points after scoring her first collegiate goal against Monmouth and tallying her first collegiate assist against Villanova.
 
Strength of Schedule
Seven of Penn's 17 opponents this season have received spots on the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll. The 15th-ranked Hawks enter the weekend as the third ranked opponent Penn has played in its opening three weeks, with the Quakers opening the season against No. 1 North Carolina and No. 10 Wake Forest (now ranked #18). Princeton (6), Delaware (10), Harvard (14), and Boston University (25) round out the remaining ranked teams.
 
Scouting Saint Joseph's
The Hawks enter the weekend 4-1 on the season after splitting a weekend in upstate New York with an 2-1 overtime defeat to No. 19 Syracuse and a 4-2 victory over Cornell. Saint Joseph's will kick off an action-packed weekend on City Avenue on Friday afternoon as the Hawks host 10th-ranked Delaware.