In last year’s matchup against former Atlantic-10 Conference rival La Salle, Temple won 14-of-18 draw controls to help earn a come-from-behind road victory at McCarthy Stadium.
A similar story played out on Wednesday afternoon at Geasey Field, as the Owls won 13-of-17 draw controls and 21-of-32 ground balls to keep a consistent attack and defeat the Explorers 13-2.
“I think getting the draws in the beginning is just a momentum changer,” said junior midfielder Morgan Glassford, who totaled a team-high five draw controls. “We have so much confidence coming off of that. Just getting the ball on our sticks, as I said before, is a positive thing. Bringing it down on the attack.”
In last Friday’s 8-5 loss to the University of Louisville, then-No. 16 team in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, the Owls (1-1) totaled five shots in the first half.
In Wednesday’s win, the Owls had five shots in in the first five minutes of play, finishing the game with 32 shots, 19 of which were on goal.
Senior midfielder Kirstie Connor scored a hat-trick in the first 17 minutes of the first half to help the Owls take a 5-0 lead into halftime. Glassford and senior attacker Megan Pinkerton each chipped in two goals, while senior attacker Brenda McDermott totaled three assists.
The Owls’ defense limited the Explorers to six shots in the contest. Stopping Explorers’ senior attacker Katelyn Fay and junior attacker Allee Ilgenfritz, the top two scorers on LaSalle in 2015, was one of the main focuses on defense.
Fay, who was shadowed by Maddie McTigue throughout the entire game, scored twice, while Ilgenfritz, covered by senior defender Summer Jaros, was held scoreless.
“We did a really good job communicating, we kind of knew what to expect from them so I think going in with a really good game plan helped us a lot,” Connor said.
Despite the 13-goal performance, Rosen would like to see offensive improvement against University of California at Davis Sunday.
“We have to develop all our players’ shooting skills in general and our ability to pass the ball even more effectively under different pressures, add add more looks to our offense.”
Evan Easterling and Luis Cabrera can be reached at sports@temple-news.com
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