Growing up, Isabella Ospitale loved watching ice hockey with her dad. They specifically watched the New Jersey Devils together and Ospitale became fascinated with one player in particular; goalkeeper Martin Brodeur.
When Ospitale entered third grade, she was introduced to the world of field hockey and was unsure of what position to play. Her team needed someone to play goalie during her first league season and Ospitale volunteered, largely because she wanted to be like Brodeur. She proved to be a natural in the cage and her coaches kept her there.
Fast forward a decade later and Ospitale has become a mainstay in goal for Temple. She has not only grabbed the starting role but has quickly become a top goalie in the entire country. More importantly, she has become the driving force behind the Owls’ historic midseason turnaround.
“I have been really proud of myself,” Ospitale said. “It feels really nice knowing that I have worked for it for so long and now I am finally seeing what I worked for.”
Ospitale spent her high school days as a brick wall in the net at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, New York. She committed to Temple before the 2022 season hoping to continue her success but was quickly met with a roadblock. The Owls already had standout goalkeeper Molly Frey defending the net, meaning Ospitale had to wait for her chance.
That opportunity never came during her first two years on campus, appearing in just one game to begin her collegiate career. Frey graduated after the 2023 season, leaving the starting goalkeeper spot open for 2024.
Despite patiently waiting for two years, Ospitale was not named the starter to open the season. She split time with freshman Alex Lepore and almost exclusively played in the second half. Ospitale could have sulked about not earning the starting job after camp, but she instead stayed prepared for any opportunities she got.
“I just always had the mindset that if you go in, prove yourself,” Ospitale said. “Take that shot and put all you got out there on the field and leave it all out there.”
Ospitale turned heads as soon as her number was called. She made three key saves in the second half against Richmond on Sept. 8 and made three more saves the next game against Penn. After that, head coach Michelle Vittese handed her the keys to the starting job in a 2-0 loss against then-No. 14 UConn.
Temple won seven straight games following the skid, with three coming against nationally ranked opponents. Ospitale has become the backbone of the newfound success, making at least three saves during each win in the streak and not allowing more than two goals in any game.
Her performance in a Big East showdown against No. 19 Liberty on Oct. 4 best highlighted her success. Ospitale made eight saves and stopped a penalty stroke in the 5-1 thumping.
Those outings helped Ospitale earn back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors. She currently ranks sixth in the country in goals-against average and eighth in save percentage, going from splitting time to one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
“She’s been integral,” Vittese said. She’s been playing very well. Early on, all of the goalkeepers lacked experience. So that’s been exciting for us to create the opportunities for them to really figure out who is in the best possible position. They all have been performing well in training, and Bella has put herself in the best possible position.”
Frey, the player Ospitale replaced, has helped Ospitale more than anyone. When Ospitale first got to Temple, the goalies initially butted heads because of the competition for the starting spot. But the disdain quickly went away, and Frey now texts Ospitale during and after games to give her advice.
“I really think of her, in my eyes, as a younger sister and someone I’ve taken in,” Frey said. “I just want to help her be her best self, in the cage and off the field.”
Ospitale had big shoes to fill, but she stepped in and made the transition as smooth as possible. Despite hardly playing her first two seasons, and not starting this season, Ospitale never stopped working towards her goal. Now the hard work has paid off and made the wait worth it.
“Freshman and sophomore me would be very proud,” Ospitale said. “It was hard freshman and sophomore year. And I think if they could see me now, it would just give me a lot of hope that hard work does pay off.”
Be the first to comment