PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team has a pair of games this weekend, hosting No. 1 Northwestern on Friday for the annual Gold in September matchup before heading down the street to Drexel on Sunday.
 
GAME DAY 5: Penn vs #1 Northwestern
Friday, Sept. 16 | 3:00 p.m.
Video Stream ($) | International Stream | Live Stats
 
GAME DAY 6: Penn at Drexel
Sunday, Sept. 18 | Noon
Video Stream ($) | Live Stats
 
Ivy League on ESPN
A reminder that the Ivy League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all Penn home games, as well as road Ivy matches and select non-conference road games, on ESPN+ this fall with the same high broadcast quality you've come to expect. ESPN+ is a subscription-based service that offers monthly and yearly packages. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+!
 
The Series with Northwestern
Friday's matchup will be the second time the two squads meet in program history. Northwestern earned the close victory in the first contest back in 1989, defeating the Quakers 3-2 here in Philadelphia.
 
About The Wildcats
Northwestern, the reigning national champion, enters Friday with a perfect 6-0 record to start the season, defeating six nationally ranked opponents with three shutouts. The Wildcats have secured victories against No. 22 Maine (5-1), No. 25 UMass (4-1), No. 18 Duke (2-0), No. 14 Boston College (6-0), No. 11 Liberty (3-0), and No. 9 Virginia (3-2). On Wednesday, fifth-year forward Bente Baekers was tabbed NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week after knocking in four goals against victories against Liberty and Virginia this past weekend. She has scored in all six games this season, the longest streak by a Wildcat since 1996. The national honor is her third of her collegiate career.
 
The Series with Drexel
The Quakers have commanded the all-time series against the Dragons, maintaining a 12-6 record that dates to 1973. Penn is riding a six-game win streak against Drexel entering Sunday's matchup, including a 5-3 victory last season at Ellen Vagelos Field. On the road, the Quakers sport a 6-3 record, while averaging 2.44 goals per game in the 18 contests.
 
About The Dragons
Drexel currently boasts a 2-3 record this season prior to its two-game weekend against Saint Francis (Friday) and Penn (Sunday). The Dragons opened the season with back-to-back nationally ranked opponents, falling to No. 4 Maryland (7-1) and No. 16 Saint Joseph's (5-2). They followed with two wins, defeating Appalachian State in a shootout before topping Fairfield, 3-1. Their latest game was at Yale on Sunday, dropping a 2-1 decision. Megan Hadfield has played every minute in the cage this season, making 31 saves with a 3.03 goals-against average.
 
Gold in September
Friday's game against Saint Joseph's is the team's Gold in September game, as the program helps the fight against childhood cancer. Junior Annie Bartosz created the program when she was just 11 years old, putting together gold being the national color for pediatric cancer and September as the recognized National Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Bartosz put together the foundation when she lost her brother at the age of 11 after battling neuroblastoma for seven years, to help families avoid the feeling their family went through in that moment.
 

???????? ???? ??????????????????

This Friday, we host #1 @NUFHCats for our annual Gold in September game, a day we don't take lightly. Check out the full story about our very own Annie Bartosz and the foundation!#growGOLD #BeatCC pic.twitter.com/B0nbsHVWTv

— Penn Field Hockey (@PennFieldHockey) September 13, 2022

 
Penn's Last Time Out
The Quakers had back-to-back overtime contests last weekend, falling to No. 20 Boston College in a shootout then dropped a 2-1 decision to Villanova on Sunday in the first extra-time period. The Quakers were first on the board against the Wildcats, scoring early in the third frame when freshman Julia Ryan found senior Olivia Kenny in the middle of the circle for the goal. Nova responded in the fourth to send the game to overtime, then capitalized in the extra period for the winner.

NFHCA Collegiate Watch List
On Thursday afternoon, the NFHCA announced its collegiate watch list of the student-athletes with the strongest potential for consideration for All-Region and All-America teams come the end of the season. The Quakers were represented by senior captains Gracyn Banks and Elita Van Staden. They are joined by 252 other athletes across all three divisions.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The Quakers open the season playing four top-10 opponents in their first five games: No. 9 Louisville, No. 2 UNC, No. 20 Boston College, and No. 1 Northwestern.
 
*Seniors Banks, Meghan Ward and Van Staden lead the Red and Blue this season as team captains. It is Banks' second-straight year as a captain.
 
*The Quakers returned their top six scorers from 2021 (Ward, Banks, Allison Kuzyk, Julia Russo, Sydney Huang, and Kenny), combining for 51 of the team's 78 points.
 
*Head coach Colleen Fink heads the program for her 13th season, totaling 95 victories entering the 2022 campaign.
 
*Penn will host their annual Believe in Bryn game on Sunday, October 2 against LIU.