Owls clinch postseason berth with upset against Huskies

Temple Field Hockey (12-5, 4-3 Big East Conference) defeated No. 13 University of Connecticut (11-5, 5-2 Big East Conference) 3-2 on Friday afternoon. In a game that the Owls desperately needed to win to clinch their berth in the Big East Conference Tournament, they had one of their best performances all season. The team played well rounded field hockey, capitalizing on chances and playing great defense against one of the best teams in the nation. After this win, the Owls clinched the fourth seed in the Big East Tournament and moved to 4-15 all-time against the University of Connecticut. 

KEY PLAYS

• Just five minutes into the game, Temple sophomore midfielder Tess Muller put the ball in the back of the net in a scramble in front of the net while UConn graduate student goaltender Cheyenne Sprecher was down to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.
• At the 10 minute mark of the second quarter, Temple senior goaltender Molly Frey made two diving saves on a UConn penalty corner to keep the Owls up 1-0.
• With under four minutes remaining in the first half, Temple junior midfielder Myrthe Schuilenburg capitalized on Temple’s second penalty corner of the game to give the Owls a 2-0 lead heading into the half.
• Just under nine minutes into the third quarter, Temple senior forward Sydney Beck scored with a wide open net in front of her after a great crossing pass from Muller.
• With five minutes remaining in the game, UConn pulled Sprecher to get an extra attacker and freshman midfielder Jasmijn Damman pulled the Huskies within two with a goal. 
• With 56 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter Huskies’ senior defender Claire Jandewerth scored on a penalty stroke to bring them to within one goal with under a minute left.

THE NUMBERS

• Frey finished with six saves, her most in a single game, and upping her season total to 46.
• Muller finished with one goal, her sixth of the season.
• Schuilenburg finished with one goal, her fifth of the season.
• Beck finished with one goal, her first goal of the season.
• Jandewerth finished with one goal, her third goal of the season.

WORDS FROM COACH

“We knew what we were capable of, so it was really about playing to our strengths today doing our jobs,” said head coach Michelle Vittese. “And Molly [Frey] played phenomenal and allowed us to really buckle down and keep them at bay and deal with their attacking pressure.”

ON TAP

The Owls will look to build off this win when they take on Lock Haven (12-4, 5-1 Atlantic 10 Conference) in their final regular season game on Oct. 30 at 12 p.m. back home at Howarth Field.