The first quarter of Temple Field Hockey’s game against Richmond Sunday gave fans the illusion they were about to witness an offensive spectacle. Both teams netted two goals in the first 15 minutes as each unit found scoring chances at ease.
The momentum couldn’t carry over though, as both offenses quickly fizzled out and the defense took over for the next three quarters. Temple had the chance to sneak away with a win when forward Mathéa Laselle ripped a shot with 45 seconds left of regulation. Goalkeeper Kristen Rake stuffed the shot and overtime was needed.
The Spiders only needed three minutes of extra time to pull out a win. The Owls applied early offensive pressure, however Richmond responded with its own. Temple blocked an initial Richmond shot but forward Avery Russell corralled the rebound and put it home to give the Spiders the win.
Temple (2-2, 0-0 Big East) fell to Richmond (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) 3-2 Sunday afternoon in a thrilling overtime clash at Crenshaw Field. The Owls fired off 13 shots on goal throughout the game but went scoreless in the final four periods.
The Spiders struck just as forward Clara Larripa capitalized on a bad pass by back Alizé Maes and found the back of the net within the opening six minutes of the game.
The Owls answered swiftly with midfielder Halle Aschenbach responding two minutes later for her third goal of the season. Her goal leveled the score and lit a fire in a Temple offense that went scoreless in its previous game.
Both teams traded goals again near the end of the first quarter. Larripa got the best of Temple goalkeeper Alex Lepore for a second time of the day. Midfielder Tess Muller fired off a shot from a penalty corner that got by Rake to keep Temple within arms reach.
However, both offenses completely vanished after the opening period. The Owls racked up eight first-quarter shots, which accounted for half of the amount they fired off the rest of the game. Temple controlled possession for much of the first quarter, with a strong and unified offensive effort, but Richmond never broke.
Rake was kept busy throughout the match, recording 11 saves. The second half had less action between the posts with both defenses ramping up their efforts. The Owls had three of their four saves in the final 30 minutes of regulation, forcing the game into overtime.
Head coach Michelle Vittese plugged Isabella Ospitale into goal to replace Lepore following halftime. Ospitale made three saves during the second half to keep the Owls in the game. However, she could not make the save that mattered most in the do-or-die overtime period.
The Owls will return home to face crosstown rival Penn (0-1, 0-0 Ivy League) at Ellen Vagelos Field on Sept 13. at 3 p.m.
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