Temple Field Hockey’s kryptonite the last three seasons has been ranked opponents. The Owls were looking to get over the hump against No. 18 Old Dominion, a team that has dominated the Owls for the last five years. Following four straight losses, Temple defeated La Salle on Sept. 22 and a win against the Monarchs seemed to be the chance it needed to get back on track
Through 60 minutes of play, neither side could find a break. Each team had numerous chances to find the back of the net but time and time again the defenses stepped up to keep the game scoreless. As overtime commenced the Owls were hoping to find their breakthrough.
Temple got the break they needed three minutes into the extra period. Midfielder Peyton Rieger weaved along the sideline and sent a perfect centering pass to midfielder Myrthe Schuilenburg who was all alone in the middle of the circle. Schuilenburg put the pass by ODU goalkeeper Suus Broers to give Temple the win.
Temple (4-4, 1-1 Big East Conference) edged out to Old Dominion (5-3, 1-1 Big East Conference 1-0 at the Temple Sports Complex Saturday afternoon. The Owls victory was the first time they got the best of the Monarchs since 2016, snapping a 10-game losing streak against their Big East rivals.
“All I remember is Peyton [Rieger] getting the ball at the end of the baseline,” Schullenburg said. “I need to get open but I was wide open and Peyton gave it exactly where I wanted it and the only thing that I needed to do was one-time it. We know that we play well against good teams and we prepare for it.”
The Monarchs quickly forced two penalty corners in the opening two minutes, establishing an aggressive and physical style of play. The Owls defense stepped up to the early challenge and stopped both chances to keep the game level.
Temple began to match Old Dominion’s offensive aggression, forcing a penalty corner of their own 30 seconds later. Back Alizé Maes had a chance to break the tie, but it was blocked instead, setting the stage for a defensive battle between the Big East rivals.
Temple had another opportunity on a penalty corner and almost converted the chance. There was a scrum in front of the net but Broers saved the day by corralling the shot. Minutes later, Temple applied the pressure when midfielder Halle Aschenbach fired a shot just above the crossbar as the first quarter came to a close.
The aggression toned down as the second quarter started, before the Owls picked up the pace. Temple earned two penalty corners early in the second quarter, but failed to score off both attempts. Both offenses slowed down as the second quarter came to a close, and went into the locker room deadlocked at zero.
Old Dominion mimicked its early first-quarter product, coming out of the gates swinging, desperately hoping to break the tie. Temple goalkeeper Isabella Ospitale had different plans and swatted away every chance the Monarchs had.
Ospitale split time with Alex Lepore to begin the season, but has slowly become the heir apparent for Molly Frey. Ospitale’s performance all but cemented her role as the Owls’ starter, finishing with four saves and holding the Monarchs down.
Monarch defender Serena Langendoen had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter off of a penalty corner. It was Ospitale who saved the day yet again, this time on a diving save to keep the game level.
“Going towards the end of regulation, my whole defensive unit was really on lockdown,” Ospitale said. “Our goal today was to not let anything through, because to be able to make stuff happen on the other end, you also need to keep it locked on the defensive side.”
Langendoen’s chance was the final opportunity to break the tie and both teams traded blows for the rest of the second half. Neither team was able to convert in the fourth quarter and overtime was needed.
Temple was finally able to break through and Schullenburg’s goal gave the Owls the win and the perfect boost they needed to set the tone for the rest of the season.
“Our mentality going in was that we had to play for a full 60 [minutes], be very disciplined,” head coach Michelle Vittese said. “For us, we just had to continue to play our game, rather than focusing on doing something against the opponent, we play our game.”
The Owls will conclude their brief homestand when they take on No. 20 Monmouth (6-1-0, 1-0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.
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