The Owls fail to take advantage of their early lead, as the Dragons fire a late shot in game to win.
The Owls outshot the Dragons 16-5, but were unable to pull out a win against cross-town opponent Drexel, as they ended up losing, 2-1, last Sunday at the Vida Athletic Complex at Drexel’s campus.
The Owls took a majority of the shots in the first half of the game, while its defensive appeared cohesive. In past games, the defensive unit has not had success in shutting down opponents’ offense.
“Our passing patterns have improved,” freshman midfielder Nicole Kroener said.
A persistent, although unsuccessful, Drexel offense kept the Owls and their improved passing patterns sharp and alert in what was a scoreless game for 29 minutes. The Owls took advantage of a hole in Drexel’s defensive line and sophomore midfielder Mandi Shearer passed the ball to the team’s top goal scorer, senior forward Bridget Settles. Settles notched what would be Temple’s only goal of the day.
Three minutes into the second half, it appeared as if Settles would score again. Shooting on a rebound, Settles hacked the ball into the net only to have the whistle blow. The goal was deemed no good, but the Owls seemed to have gained a little more momentum for a few minutes. Despite the Owls’ heavy presence around Drexel’s goal, junior midfielder Amanda Fleischut was able to score for the Dragons on a breakaway to even the score 1-1.
Although they controlled the first half of the game, the Owls began to fizzle out toward the end of the second half while the Dragons increased their intensity significantly. With approximately two minutes left in regulation, Drexel was awarded a penalty shot. Fleischut was able to beat Owls’ sophomore goalie Lizzy Millen, and score what would become the Dragons’ game-winning goal.
“I wasn’t set, I need to be more ready for the shot,” Millen said of the final goal.
As the Owls’ record dipped to 3-5, the team appeared to be disappointed. Assistant coach Charise Young said the Owls need to keep their intensity level up if they want to improve.
“We also need to capitalize on our opportunities,” Young said, referring to the player advantage Temple received due to the yellow carding of a Drexel player midway through the second half.
On Sept. 16, the Owls ended a game in Newark against Delaware in much higher spirits, as Temple went home with the 2-1 win. Settles and senior defender Carissa Young each netted a goal.
The Owls will be looking to inch closer to a .500 record with a win on Thursday at Penn State (7-3).
Hayley Condon can be reached at hayley.nicole.condon@temple.edu.
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