This wasn’t the ending seniors Kersha Walker, Debbie Painter and Kelly Lare imagined happening on Senior Day.
The women’s soccer team didn’t have enough fight to overcome St. Bonaventure Sunday at Ambler Field, losing 3-0. Temple lost for the fifth straight time and ran its winless streak to seven games.
“We have big shoes to fill next year,” freshman forward Stephanie Ferretti said of the departing seniors. “We have a good team, all we have to do is keep working.”
The loss dropped Temple to 5-8-3 overall and 1-6-1 in the Atlantic Ten Conference. They fell to the Bonnies for just the fourth time in program history, dropping their all-time record against the Bonnies to 9-4-3.
The loss was Temple’s first Senior Day loss in the last three years, but the seventh time they were shut out this season. During their seven-game winless streak, they’ve scored just two goals and have been shut out five times.
“We’re in a slump,” freshman defender Liz Roper said. “We just have to get out of it”.
“We played well,” coach David Jones said. “We just have to make changes to push ourselves up.”
Jones said he believes his club is stronger than George Washington, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s, the Owls’ final three opponents.
George Washington owns a 1-6-0 A-10 record, Richmond a 3-3-1 mark and St. Joe’s a 1-6-0 record.
The game’s first half featured strong play from Bonnies’ goalie Amanda Prestigiacomo, who came into the contest with 46 saves. Prestigiacomo notched four saves against the Owls, earning her second career shutout. Marilyn Wargo scored the half’s only goal 15 minutes into the game.
In the second half, Temple tried to put the pressure on as Stephanie Ferretti and Charisma Wright took shots that both ricocheted off the post. The Owls also relied on their defense, this time led by Roper.
The Bonnies’ Anna Cunningham iced the game with two goals in the final 10 minutes of play.
Roper said that the team suffered a “mental loss” to the Bonnies, who improved to 5-9-2 overall and 2-5-1 in the A-10.
The Owls look to regroup starting Friday at George Washington, the first of a three-game road stretch to end the season.
Joe Polinsky can be reached jpolinsky@temple.edu.
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