Temple Women’s Soccer suited up for its game against La Salle looking to build on its four-goal victory against Le Moyne on Sept. 5. The Owls shattered a losing streak that spanned nearly one year, and they looked to gain momentum after Temple striker Shari Atkins drilled a goal 22 minutes into the game.
However, things took a nosedive soon after, and the Owls’ hopes of a second win quickly left their grasp. Despite an early goal, the Explorers struck back with a vengeance, tying the game just seven minutes after Temple scored. LaSalle forward Ricshya Walker epitomized the energy of the Explorers squad as she scored three unanswered goals in the final 45 minutes.
La Salle piled on four goals in the second half to seal the deal and force Temple to continue to look for a consistent winning formula.
Temple (1-6, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) was routed by La Salle (5-1-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) 5-1 Sunday afternoon. While the Owls scored the opening goal, they were outshot 28-10 throughout the game.
Atkins, who found the back of the net first against Le Moyne, wasted no time getting her name on the stat sheet on Sunday. But the goal advantage was short-lived, as La Salle forward Sunni DiElmo found midfielder Gabby Picco, who hammered a shot past Temple goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe to knot up the game.
After ending the half at a draw, both teams came out of the locker room trying to break the deadlock. It was La Salle who did so when Walker scored the first of her three goals 15 minutes into the second half. Walker went on to score two more goals in the 69th and 76th minutes to complete a hat-trick and all but seal the game for the Explorers.
La Salle forward Kameron Rase finalized Temple’s fate by netting a fifth La Salle goal in the 86th minute. Bynoe was unable to keep the final goal out of the net but still tallied five saves as she faced 28 shots with 10 being on target.
Temple midfielder Yao Zhou continued to be a rare bright spot in the Owls’ offense, as she led Temple in shots yet again. The Owls were still unable to gain a steady rhythm throughout the game, putting only two shots on goal on their heels against a surging La Salle attack.
Temple will return home after a six-game road stretch as they kick off conference play against East Carolina University (3-0-3, 0-0 AAC) on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Temple Sports Complex.
Be the first to comment