Halftime comeback captures first win of season for Temple lacrosse

Temple scored eight second half goals to beat Rutgers University 12-10 in Piscataway, New Jersey on Wednesday.

Junior midfielder Maddie Gebert (right) attempts to get past University of Delaware junior midfielder Claire D'Antonio (center) in Temple's 7-4 loss to the Fightin' Blue Hens on Feb. 8 at Howarth Field. | JUSTIN OAKES / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Temple University lacrosse erased a two-goal deficit at halftime to come back and beat Rutgers University, for its first win of the season.

Temple (1-1) scored 12 goals, compared to four in its season-opener, to defeat Rutgers University (1-1) 12-10 on Wednesday in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Owls scored four goals in the first half but trailed 6-4 at halftime. Junior attacker and captain Olivia Thompson scored the game-tying and game-winning goals late in the second half to give Temple its first win of the season.

The comeback win was a good “next step” for the Owls, coach Bonnie Rosen said. Temple bested Rutgers in shots, shots on goal, draw controls, and clearing success rate.

“I would say this game was filled with lots of tests,” Rosen added. “We played through, battling a one-goal back and forth game to then being down. So I think it was a test of resilience today.”

The Scarlet Knights scored the first two goals of the second half, extending their lead to four goals. Rutgers senior attacker Allie Ferrara and junior midfielder Samantha Budd recorded a hat-trick.

“We were a little bit slow getting things moving, and in the second half, we started getting some momentum,” Thompson said. “I think that really pushed us through.”

Temple’s attackers excelled at moving without the ball to create open shots, said Thompson, who scored a career-high six goals, five of which came during the second half.

Junior midfielder Maddie Gebert scored twice before Rutgers scored three consecutive goals to end the first half. Gebert recorded her sixth career hat trick with a goal in the second half.

Sophomore midfielders Courtney Taylor and Bridget Whitaker, and junior midfielder Meghan Hoffman each scored one goal.

Temple’s offense needs to work on timing to generate even more scoring chances, Rosen said.

“Our team is growing, and as each player on the team gets better at their individual pieces in practice, our team game on the field will get bigger and bigger,” she added.

Temple, which is in the midst of a three game road trip, next plays on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey.

“To get the first win on the road is a lot of fun,” Rosen said. “And since we’re going to be on the road a lot it’s nice to get that sense of ‘you can do it on the road,’ kind of experience today.”

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