Temple Lacrosse walked onto Howarth Field Saturday needing a win to clinch a berth in the American Athletic Conference tournament
However, the Bearcats found momentum in the first period, scoring back-to-back goals to start the game. The Owls were forced out of their rhythm with a playoff appearance on the line.
Temple found rhythm in the second period, holding Cincinnati to just one goal and scoring four unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead at halftime. The Owls kept their lead for the rest of the game and earned a chance at the conference title.
Temple (9-4, 4-1 American Athletic Conference) beat Cincinnati (10-5, 2-2 AAC) 13-9 Saturday afternoon at the Howarth Field. The Owls are now guaranteed a spot in the AAC tournament with just two games remaining in the regular season.
“One of the things we really pride ourselves on is being able to recognize what’s happening and start to get better at it,” said Temple head coach Bonnie Rosen. “I think our defense did a great job of learning the speed of which Cincinnati was going to move and getting better at how to finish.”
Temple defender Katie Shallow continued to impress with her caused turnovers. Shallow broke the program record for most caused turnovers in a single season, picking up two against the Bearcats. She had previously tied the record during Temple’s loss against James Madison on April 6.
Cincinnati found momentum right out of the gate, scoring two goals to start the game while the Owls struggled to maintain control of the ball. Then, midfielder Maeve Tobin found the back of the net and put the Owls on the scoreboard, but the Bearcats put up two more goals in the first period to leave the Owls trailing 2-4.
Midfielder Aval Goeller scored again for Cincinnati four minutes into the second period, but Temple’s defense held the Bearcats scoreless after that until midway through the third period.
“I think at all points in the game, each part of the field stepped up,” Rosen said. “We got better, and we were never relying on just one part of our game to get us there.”
Temple’s offense also got going in the second and scored four unanswered goals. Tobin started the run with her second goal of the day before attacker Julie Schickling tied the game at five with just five minutes left in the first half. Attacker Amelia Wright found the back of the net with a minute left on the clock and gave the Owls the lead going into the locker room up 6-5.
The Owls did not let up in the second half. They scored four straight goals to extend their run to eight unanswered, including two from midfielder Belle Mastropietro. Bearcats attacker Camryn Callaghan broke her squad’s 20-minute scoreless streak with her second goal of the game, but Mastropietro answered back, recording a hat-trick and pushing the score to 11-6.
“We do a really good job as a team to just completely use each other’s energy,” said Temple midfielder Erin King. “On offense, we were moving the ball really, really well, and we were finding all the opening spots just moving fast. I think defense kept up that momentum on their side.”
Six Owls scored in the game and five of them had two or more goals. Mastropietro led the Owls with three goals. Only four Bearcats scored, as Goeller and Callaghan led their team with three each.
Cincinnati scored three straight goals early in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit to just two goals after trailing by as many as five. However, King scored to end the Bearcat’s run, and the Owls locked in on defense to keep Cincinnati out of arm’s reach. King scored again with less than a minute left in the game, reaching a hat-trick and leading the Owls to the win.
“Obviously, we are really excited for the tournament, but we’re gonna continue to play like we’re still fighting for a spot,” King said. “Yes, we’re guaranteed, but also nothing’s guaranteed, and we just need to keep working.”
Temple will return to Howarth Field for its last home game of the season against Ohio State (7-6, 1-3 Big Ten Conference) on April 21 at noon.
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