With 53 seconds left in overtime, Temple University field hockey junior back Nienke Oerlemans found sophomore forward Sydney Beck positioned on the right side of the circle in open space and quickly moved the ball to her. Beck released a quick shot that whizzed past Monmouth junior goalie Kate O’Hogan, sealing the victory for the Owls.
Temple field hockey (3-5, 1-5 Big East Conference) beat Monmouth University (2-1, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) 2-1 in overtime at home Friday afternoon.
Neither team generated much offense throughout most of the contest as both defenses executed well early on. But the floodgates opened in the fourth quarter when both teams found a more consistent attack and the back of the goal.
Entering Friday’s game, the Owls had lost in overtime to Villanova on March 7 and fell short in a penalty shootout against Old Dominion University on Feb. 20.
Temple’s experience in close games fully prepared them for another overtime opportunity, said head coach Susan Ciufo.
“Emotions were really in check today, and I think we played a really solid game against a really good team,” Ciufo said. “Going into overtime, we knew we just needed each person to complete their task and they did that. I am so happy they got a win in one of these overtimes.”
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hawks senior midfielder Ireen Frenken lined up for a penalty stroke and slid the ball right past Temple senior goalkeeper Cristina Carotenuto, making the score 1-0.
Carotenuto faced a high volume of shots from Monmouth’s attack. The Hawks finished with 15 shots, but Carotenuto handled the pressure well and made seven saves. Temple finished with just seven shots in regulation.
The Owls did not trail for long. Two minutes after the Hawks’ goal, graduate student midfielder Veronika Novakova assisted Oerlemans for her first goal of the season on a corner attempt.
Novakova led the Owls with four shots and an assist, while junior midfielder Claire Thomas finished with two shots.
Monmouth dominated the third quarter, applying pressure on cage and shooting the ball nine times. In overtime, Temple controlled the ball and came away with four shots and three corner chances.
The return of limited fans at Temple Sports Complex and Howarth Field for the first time gave the team extra motivation, Beck said.
Fans can attend outdoor sporting events at Temple Sports Complex if they have a complimentary ticket from a Temple student-athlete or from a coach. All fans must wear masks the whole time and leave when the game is over, The Temple News reported.
“Having fans makes everyone play better and when you know your family or friends are there and can watch you, the game you play a lot better and the energy is a lot higher,” Beck added.
The Owls play Drexel (1-0, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) at home Sunday at noon.
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