Fifteen minutes before their game against Georgetown, the Owls recognized ten seniors.
Family members and friends escorted players each of the ten seniors to the field.
Every senior started the game, including backer Alyssa Hughes, who played in her first game since Aug. 30 against Towson. While playing their last home game in front of family and friends was special, senior midfielder Sarah Deck said defeating Georgetown 3-1 Saturday for its second conference win made it more special.
“This is our last game on Geasey Field and we wanted to leave a good impression,” Deck said. “I think today we did that.”
Leaving a good impression on the underclassmen is important for this senior group.
“The type of legacy that we want to leave is just a legacy of hard work and determination,” senior midfielder Alyssa Delp said. “Most of us stay here over the summer. We workout every morning at 6 AM with strength and conditioning coaches. We’ve just worked really hard for everything we’ve earned, so we just want to leave a legacy so all the underclassmen know we just need to work hard every year, come ready to go, and do the best they can every year.”
Senior day allowed the players to reflect on their experiences with Temple.
One of Deck’s favorite moments is when the squad defeated Penn State 3-0 Sept. 6, 2013. Former Owl Molly Doyle scored a goal in each half of Temple’s first victory against the Nittany Lions in 30 years.
“No one expected it,” Deck said. “We didn’t even expect it. We came out, just everything kind of fell into place and you don’t get many days like that when hockey feels so smooth and effortless.”
With ten seniors, 40 percent of Temple’s roster is graduating.
This season, the seniors have accounted for 60 percent of Temple’s goal scoring. The top four assist producers on the team, Delp, senior forward Tricia Light, and senior backer Rachel Steinman, and Deck are all seniors. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Haley Mitchell has started all seventeen games, saving 103 shots, which ranks second in the Big East.
“We can never replace individuals,” coach Marybeth Freeman said. “We can hope to instill skillsets that we no longer have. I think they’re all individuals in their own right, and they’re leaders in their own right. Every year, every team has to look to rebuild. It’s just that in our situation we’re rebuilding losing ten, so we’ll have to bring a big class in, which we’re set to do.”
Evan Easterling can be reached at evan.easterling@temple.edu
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