Owls lose to Knights, remain winless in conference play

Temple Women’s Soccer (1-6-4, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) lost to the University of Central Florida (3-2-4, 1-1 AAC) 2-0 on Thursday night at the Temple Sports Complex. Despite a strong performance from the defensive back line, the Owls were unable to consistently push the ball into the attacking third and struggled to control possession of the ball due to the Knights’ aggressive offensive attack.

KEY PLAYS

• At the ten-minute mark, Owls’ sophomore forward Sumaya Togba had a breakaway opportunity on goal but Knights’ redshirt senior Caroline DeLisle made a two-handed save, keeping the game tied at zero.
• In the 42nd minute, Knights’ fifth-year forward Kristen Scott sent a ball into the penalty box for fifth-year forward Mallory Olsson, who converted on a shot from right in front of the goal, giving UCF the lead.
• In the 55th minute, Owls’ sophomore midfielder Carly Steinberg found the back of the net following a corner kick, but the goal was called back after an offsides call.
• A minute later, senior forward Emily Kavanaugh had a promising chance, but a save from DeLisle kept the Knights’ lead at one.
• At the 59-minute mark, sophomore goalkeeper Kyla Burns was out of position, allowing Olsson to score from right in front of the goal for her second of the game.

THE NUMBERS

• Burns finished the game with seven saves, pushing her season total to 60.
• The Owls were outshot 13-6 by the Knights, marking the ninth consecutive game that Temple was outshot by their opponent.
• The Owls recorded just one corner kick, their fewest in a game since they finished with two on Sept. 3 against Rider University.

WORDS FROM COACH

“One of the most important parts of the game is the five minutes leading into half,” said head coach Nick Bochette. “I thought that we played very well for a large majority of the game and getting to halftime tied would have been a huge goal achieved for us.”

ON TAP

The Owls will look to earn their first conference win of the season when they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the University of Cincinnati (4-1-4, 0-0-1 AAC) on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.