ITHACA, N.Y. - Marisa Siergiej continued her outstanding work on penalty corners, scoring in the 37th minute to break a stalemate and send the Big Red field hockey team to a 1-0 victory over Penn in its Ivy League opener this afternoon at Marsha Dodson Field. With the win, Cornell improves to 4-1 overall (1-0 Ivy), while the Quakers fall to 2-3 overall (0-1 Ivy).  
 
"We started a little tentative but picked up as the play went on," said head coach Donna Hornibrook. "I thought we were really solid defensively and limited their chances. It was a really hard-fought game, which is what we've come to expect from every Ivy League match."
 
Siergiej's strike was set up by Ann DiPastina and Taylor Standiford at the 36:39 mark and set the tone for a second half in which the Big Red held the 10-2 advantage in shots and the 4-1 edge in penalty corners.
 
The Big Red controlled the play for the majority of the game with several quality chances to score, including what appeared to be a late insurance goal in the 63rd minute that was waved off despite the fact that it appeared to have hit the underside of the crossbar. Cornell had several other scoring opportunities, but was turned away by Penn goalie, Allison Weisenfels, who made five saves, while Claire Kneizys turned in two defensive saves for the Quakers.
 
As well as the Big Red did on offense, the team was even more impressive defensively, allowing five shots, just one of which was on goal, and conceded just two penalty corners during the course of the game. Freshman goalie Kelly Johnson finished the game with one save to earn her first career shutout.
 
For the game, the Big Red held the advantage in shots (15-5) and penalty corners (4-2).
 
Cornell is back in action tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 21 when it plays host to Holy Cross at Marsha Dodson Field at 12:00 p.m.