With last weekend’s two-game losing streak in the rearview, Seamus O’Connor wanted to make sure his team understood the importance of protecting home field against Binghamton University.
Although the Owls snapped their losing streak Friday with a 4-0 road win over the University of New Hampshire, the sting of the team’s home loss to Lehigh University on Sept. 6 still lingered in O’Connor’s mind Sunday.
“I think the girls were surprised how angry and fired up I was before the game because I just hate losing at home,” O’Connor said. “If we’re going to achieve our goals this year, nobody can come here and beat us and I’m still angry about losing last weekend even though we played great.”
Senior Kelly Farrell celebrated her 21st birthday with a goal and a victory, helping Temple (6-2) start a two-game winning streak as the Owls downed Binghamton, 4-1. She scored the first goal of the match for the second straight game when she found the back of the net in the 10th minute.
Farrell, who recorded her first two-goal performance of the season Friday, has scored in all seven games she has played this season.
The 5-foot-4 inch forward’s team-high eight goals are one shy of her nine goals in 2014.
“I don’t go into the games looking to just score,” Farrell said. “I just want to win, but lately, now that I know I’ve scored in every game, it’s like, alright, now I’ve got to keep scoring.”
Farrell’s goal was assisted by freshman forward Sarah McGlinn, who scored her first two goals of the season against New Hampshire on Friday.
McGlinn has started two of Temple’s last three games.
“I’ve watched her grow up and play, so it’s kind of cool just watching her now and being on the field with her,” Farrell said. “For her to get into the starting lineup is awesome for a freshman and I feel like now she’s got all the nerves out and she’s just ready to go.”
Senior defender Erin Lafferty followed up Farrell’s goal with a free-kick score in the 32nd minute. Twelve minutes after sophomore defender Elana Falcone put the Owls ahead by two goals, Lafferty scored on a penalty kick in the 76th minute for the final margin.
O’Connor used nine substitutes as the team played without injured starters Gina DiTaranto (knee), Gabriella McKeown (shoulder), Taylor Matsinger (hamstring) and Shauni Kerkhoff, who is out for the season with a broken tibia.
O’Connor said Matsinger could have played if necessary, but he wanted her to rest in anticipation of the team’s games against La Salle and Saint Joseph’s University next weekend.
“Next weekend is going to be crazy,” he said. “Those two games are going to be intense and it’s going to be real fiery, so I just want to make sure by then that everybody that can be available is here.”
Tom Reifsnyder can be reached at tom.reifsnyder@temple.edu or on Twitter @Tom_Reifsnyder.
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