In overtime, sophomore midfielder Clare Severe booted in the game-winning goal from the top box over sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Nash’s hand to give Lehigh University a 1-0 win over Temple.
Temple (3-7) has lost five of its last six games, after Tuesday’s loss at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Coach Seamus O’Connor said they played an undefeated Lehigh team well, but penalties hurt the Owls.
In the 56th minute, senior defender Cydney Niedermeyer retaliated to a play in the corner and was given a red card, which ejected her from the game, leaving the Owls down a player for the remainder of the game.
“When you’re playing 10 against 11 for almost an hour at this level against a team that is unbeaten and unscored it is a huge task,” O’Connor said.
The Mountain Hawks have shut out every opponent through eight games this season.
Temple failed to score in the contest on 11 total shots, including four of those on goal.
Since losing their top two goalscorers from a year ago, Temple has yet to find someone to fill the void.
The Owls have been shutout in five of their seven losses this season.
“Tonight we had some chances,” O’Connor said, “Kayla Cunningham had some shots that just—one scraped the top of the bar on the way over. So it’s right there, we’re doing what we need. We had a great couple of set plays where we had it almost to the goal line. So it’s just continuing to do what we’re doing.”
O’Connor added that Nash played one her best games of the season Tuesday. The Brick, New Jersey native faced 26 shots on the night and had nine saves. Nash leads the American Athletic Conference with 47 saves this season.
Freshman Morgan Morocco sat out with a lower leg injury. She is third on the team in goals and points. O’Connor said he wants her to be healthy for the start of conference play next week.
The Owls will return home to The Temple Sports Complex to face off against Memphis on Sept. 29 at 3:30 p.m. Temple was 4-5-1 against opponents in The American last season.
O’Connor said he feels comfortable with the way his team is playing heading into conference play.
“We definitely look like the Temple of old tonight,” O’Connor said. “…We look like who I knew we were, so I’m way more confident after tonight. We all hate losing, but it was a victory in a way.”
Tom Ignudo can be reached at thomas.ignudo@temple.edu or on Twitter @Ignudo5.
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