Temple lacrosse split two tough games at Geasey Field last week, beating the University of Pennsylvania, 15-11, and losing to No. 11 Delaware by a 12-8 score.
Against the nationally-ranked Blue Hens, Patience Synnestvedt of Bryn Athyn, Pa., and Deanna Radcliff of Collegeville, Pa., set the tone early for Temple, scoring two goals apiece in the first half. The pair’s stellar play helped Temple grab a 6-3 lead at the intermission.
But unfortunately for Temple and its supporters, the second half was all Blue Hens.
Delaware’s leading scorer, Sarah Edwards, came out with a vengeance in the second half, scoring all three of her goals after the break.
Her first goal, which came at the 27-minute mark, sparked a 5-0 run by the Blue Hens. Jen Jefferson of Annapolis, Md., cut the 8-6 deficit in half for Temple with 12 minutes remaining, but Delaware’s Kate O’Connell quickly retaliated with a goal that put the game out of reach for good.
It was the Owls’ second straight loss.
The Owls put an end to the losing streak two days later against their crosstown rivals, the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. It was the final home game for Temple seniors Kelly Ruch, Iris Alvarado, Amy Stein and Shannon Scheurer.
Ruch made sure the seniors walked off Geasey Field for the final time victorious. She led all scorers with six goals and added two assists in the win. Temple never trailed the entire game, but Penn managed to narrow the Owl advantage to 10-8 with 13 minutes remaining.
Sensing a change in momentum, Ruch and Jen Jefferson scored two goals apiece in a 3-minute stretch to seal the deal. The pair has 56 and 25 goals on the season, respectively.
The Atlantic 10 Tournament is May 6-7 at Garber Field in Amherst, Mass. With their recent win over LaSalle, the Minutewomen of Massachusetts (5-1 in the A-10) claimed a piece of the regular season title with co-champions Temple (5-1) and Virginia Tech (5-1).
The Atlantic 10 conference will most likely grant the hosting Minutewomen the top seed, while Temple and Virginia Tech will have a coin toss to determine the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the single-elimination tournament.
Last year, the first season of women’s lacrosse play in the Atlantic 10, Temple hosted the league tournament at Geasey Field. As the top seed, the Owls advanced to the championship final before falling to the Hokies of Virginia Tech.
The lacrosse tournament will be one of the defending-champion Hokies’ last stands in the A-10, as Virginia Tech moves to the Big East conference in all sports at the beginning of the next academic year.
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