A late October matchup with Delaware State was not in the original plan for Coach Seamus O’Connor.
However, a 1-0 win against the Hornets may have been just what the Owls needed before their final conference game against UConn on Sunday.
“It’s just a good opportunity to make the best out of a bad situation,” O’Connor said.
The reason for the non-conference showdown, so late in the season, was a last-minute cancelation during the scheduling process.
“A team we were supposed to play pulled out real late in the schedule last year and kind of left us hanging,” O’Connor said. “So, we were kind of desperate to find a game.”
“I was able to get Delaware State to play us, but they said the only time they could play was this late in the season,” O’Connor added.
Heading into Thursday night’s contest, O’Connor’s team was coming off back-to-back losses in the American Athletic Conference for the first time all season. The Owls were shut out in both defeats.
Temple looked to gain some of the momentum it had found in a 10-4-1 start earlier in the season in Thursday night’s game.
Junior Kelly Farrell broke the scoreless streak in the 24th minute when she scored off an assist from senior Alyssa Kirk.
“There was definitely a lot of frustration not being able to finish up front,” Farrell said about the Owls’ recent scoring struggles. “There’s always a lot of pressure when your defense is working really hard and you can’t repay them with a goal.”
Temple’s offense came to life against the Hornets. The team had 20 shots in the game and put eight of them on goal. Farrell, who leads the team with eight goals on the year, hit four of her five shots on target.
If it weren’t for the play of Delaware State goalkeeper Katelyn Koslosky and some bad luck with the post, the Owls might have seen a few more of their shots go in.
O’Connor said he was encouraged by his team’s ability to set up chances.
“We created a ton of goal scoring opportunities, which has been something we’ve been working on since the Florida games,” O’Connor said.
The meeting with the Hornets also gave O’Connor the chance to experiment with his team before its game against the Huskies and the upcoming conference tournament.
“This is the time of year you have to work on some stuff, so tonight we tried different situations and different things — different formations and combinations,” O’Connor said.
Loose notes
With another road victory, the Owls improved to 8-4 away from home this season … Junior goalkeeper Shauni Kerkhoff posted her sixth shutout of the season … Temple is now 4-0 all-time against Delaware State. The Owls beat the Hornets 4-0 when the two teams met up last year.
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