Clinging to a one-goal lead against UAB Sunday, Temple seemed to be in prime position to put its 28-game conference losing streak to rest. Goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe had held the Blazers at bay all game and defender Phoebe Hollin capitalized to give Temple its first goal in six games.
However, the Blazers stormed back in the waning minutes when forward Jette Zimmer powered a shot home to tie the game in the 85th minute. Less than a minute later, Bynoe let up another goal, and Temple had no response for the Blazers’ avalanche and collapsed on its senior day to extend its conference losing streak to 29 games.
Temple (2-16, 0-9 American Athletic Conference) fell to UAB (7-4-4, 4-2-3 AAC) 2-1 Sunday afternoon at the Temple Sports Complex. Temple snatched the lead in the 57th minute but was unable to preserve its first victory in more than a month.
“There were a lot of heavy legs, we had a lot of players play heavy minutes, and as you get physically fatigued, you get mentally fatigued,” said head coach Chris Shaw. “I thought there were a couple of poor decisions at the end there we got exposed on.”
Temple came into the matchup at the bottom of the conference while UAB was in fourth place with a firm grasp on making the AAC conference tournament. The Blazers flexed their muscles almost immediately, pushing the pace and getting a shot off less than a minute into the game but it amounted to nothing as it fell out of bounds.
UAB didn’t relent after the shot and earned two early corners in the first four minutes, hoping to rattle the Owls. Temple stood tall though and denied both chances to keep the game level and keep pace with one of the conference’s elite teams.
Forward Shari Atkins gave the Owls some form of life as she broke past the defense and mustered off a shot in the 27th minute. Her shot was off the mark but it gave the Owls a pulse, and they tried to build off the attempt. Hollin and Midfielder Yao Zhou sent shots to the goal, but they never made it to goalkeeper Anika Toth.
Both teams got six shots off in the first 45 minutes but neither was able to get on the scoreboard. Toth secured three saves while Bynoe had one after being subbed on as both teams strolled to the locker room tied at zero.
The Blazers looked to mimic how they opened up the first half and went on the attack early. Zimmer beamed a shot that rang off the post to keep the stalemate intact. Temple was able to take the momentum and it was Hollin who delivered.
Temple was awarded a free kick following a handball in the 57th minute Hollin lined up to take her chance. Her shot went past the wall of the Blazers’ defenders and struck gold by getting it past Toth.
“I know I can hit them, I practice them everyday in training,” Hollin said. “There wasn’t much going in my head, it was just to make the keeper make a save and put my team in front.”
Temple was able to hold its lead for the next 30 minutes as UAB barely made a peep trying to tie the game. Bynoe was holding her down her post, but suddenly the wheels started to come off. Zimmer was able to catch a deflection with gold in her sights and hammered her shot home to tie the game in the 85th minute.
The Blazer never bowed down and spoiled both Temple’s senior day but Bynoe’s five-save outing. Midfielder Kendall Page ripped a shot that Bynoe was unable to save, turning a sure Owls victory into heartbreak in just one minute. Temple had no rebuttal to the goals and rolled over to drop yet another game.
“Super disappointed to not get a result there,” Shaw said. “It’s hard at this stage of the year when we don’t have an opportunity to make the conference tournament, you know, we had to find the motivation to show up and work hard.”
Temple will play its final game of the regular season against Charlotte (2-7-7, 1-2-5 AAC) on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
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