Field Hockey Hosts Penn Friday, Plays at No. 1 UConn Sunday

GAME 10
Dartmouth Big Green (3-6, 0-2 Ivy) vs.
Penn Quakers (6-3, 1-1 Ivy)
Date: Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 – 4 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. – Chase AstroTurf Field
All-Time Series: Penn, 21-16-3
Last Time: Oct. 10, 2015 / L, 3-2/2OT (Philadelphia)

GAME 11
Dartmouth Big Green (3-6*) vs.
No. 1 UConn Huskies (11-0*)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 – 12 p.m.
Location: Storrs, Conn. – George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex
All-Time Series: UConn, 18-0-2
Last Time: Oct. 1, 1997 / L, 5-0 (Storrs)

THIS WEEKEND
The Dartmouth field hockey team will play a pair of games this weekend, hosting Ivy League foe Penn on Friday afternoon before heading down I-91 to take on top-ranked Connecticut Sunday at noon.

LAST TIME OUT
The Big Green are coming off an 0-2 weekend last week between a home loss to Brown (2-1) and a non-conference road defeat (5-2) at Northeastern two days later.

SCOUTING PENN
The Quakers are now even in conference play at 1-1 following a 3-2 loss in double overtime Sunday at home to Harvard. Losses in two of the last three followed a four-game winning streak for Penn that included shutout wins against LIU Brooklyn (6-0) and Cornell (1-0) with the latter serving as the Ivy League opener for the conference's Philadelphia contingent. A tough schedule through nine games (6-3) has seen the Quakers play a team ranked No. 1 in the nation twice already, falling to North Carolina (6-2) and at Syracuse (4-0). Once again, Alexa Hoover — the program's all-time leader in points as just a junior — leads the way in goals (5), assists (5) and points (15), while the team has used four goalkeepers this season with Liza Mata leading with 605 minutes of action.

SCOUTING UCONN
The Huskies come into the weekend with an 11-0 mark and play Big East rival Villanova Friday night. After playing seven of its first 11 games away from Storrs, UConn is back home at the Sherman Sports Complex for four straight. The only remaining undefeated team in Division I, the Huskies are led by Charlotte Veitner's 3.73 points 1.45 goals per game, both ranking as the best in the nation, respectively. Nina Klein's 0.82 goals against average is second nationally, while boasting a save percentage of .690. As a team, UConn is third in goals (4.64) and points (12.82) per game and first in margin of victory, beating opponents by an average of 3.82 goal per outing. On the other end of the field, the 0.82 allowed per game also ranks second in the country.

ANOTHER HUSKY
For the second straight Sunday, the Big Green will take on a team named for the cold-weather dog after having played Northeastern last week. Like NU, Dartmouth has had trouble with UConn, having not won a game in 20 all-time meetings.

THAT'S SOMETHING
Dartmouth is third in the nation in saves per game as a team this season with a figure of 10.89 through nine matchups. Being tested often has led freshman keeper Emma Plumb to boast the third-best save percentage to this point as she has a .782 to her credit. Plumb's 8.78 saves per game is fifth amongst all DI keepers as well.

BACK OF THE CAGE FOR BRACERAS
Freshman Carmen Braceras found the back of the net against Northeastern for her fifth goal of the season. Those five goals account for nearly a third of Dartmouth's total (16) this season. Her 11 points are also a team lead.

A FIRST FOR SPANOS
Freshman Katie Spanos has started in all nine games this season for the Big Green, but the ninth game might be the one she remembers best after scoring the first goal of her collegiate career in Dedham against Northeastern.

FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's home game will be carried live and in HD on the Ivy League Digital Network. Sunday's game will be broadcast through UConnHuskies.com. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter by following the team's official account: @DartmouthFH.

WHAT'S AHEAD?
The Green and White are back home next Saturday to take on Yale in an Ivy contest at Chase AstroTurf Field. Game time against the Bulldogs is set for noon.