Despite an impressive five saves, Owls’ graduate student goalkeeper Megan Ragusa could not keep the Hawks off the score sheet.
Temple University field hockey (5-2-0, 1-0 The American Athletic Conference) lost 2-0 to No. 9 ranked Saint Joseph’s University (6-2, 0-0 The Atlantic 10 Conference) on Sunday afternoon at the Temple Sports Complex.
The Owls were trying to halt the Hawks’ three-game winning streak coming into the game, including back-to-back wins over No. 4 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and No. 8 Rutgers University.
Hawks’ freshman midfielder Sol Borensztein scored the first goal of the game off of a rebound in the 34th minute, followed by another goal midway through the fourth quarter by sophomore forward Manu Ghigliotti, her seventh goal this season.
The best opportunity for the Owls came with three minutes to go in the first quarter with a penalty corner. However, Hawks’ junior goalkeeper Robin Bleekemolen stepped up to make three saves on the bounce, keeping the game tied at 0-0.
Owls’ freshman midfielder Julianne Kopec applied pressure throughout the game, displaying her speed and agility to create shot opportunities early. However, the Hawks still had eight shots on goal compared to Temple’s four.
Temple’s defensive effort helped the Owls go into halftime scoreless. But in the end, the Hawks’ offense applied relentless pressure that helped them maneuver around the Owls’ defensive patterns after they scored the first goal.
Despite the loss, interim head coach Michelle Vitesse was proud the Owls could match the intensity of a top 10 team, she said.
“I don’t like losing, but suffering a loss that you are still very proud of and the fight that was in the group, I can definitely swallow that.” Vitesse said.
The Owls will take on Villanova University (4-4 1-0 The Big East ) at home on Sept. 24 at 6:00 p.m.
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