Temple Field Hockey began its season as well as it could have imagined. The Owls scored 13 goals in their first two games and were off to a scorching 2-0 start. The good vibes ended there and Temple fell off a cliff with four straight losses. The Owls entered their game against La Salle Sunday desperate for a kickstart heading into conference play after spiraling for nearly a month.
Temple came out of the gate with an increased sense of aggression. Temple finally broke through when midfielder Catherine Arentz tapped in a pass from midfielder Agustina Tucceri to give Temple a 1-0 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter.
That opening goal gave the Owls the boost they needed. Temple followed up with three more goals in the second half and held La Salle off the scoreboard on the way to the win. After being limited to just three goals in the last four games, the Owls erupted, surpassing that total in a single game to get back on track.
Temple (3-4, 0-1 Big East) took down La Salle (5-3, 0-1 Atlantic 10) 4-0 Sunday afternoon at the Temple Sports Complex. The win marks the Owls’ ninth straight win against the Explorers dating back to the 2010 season.
“For me winning today was very important but what was really important was doing our jobs for a full 60 minutes,” said Temple head coach Michelle Vittese. “Do I think we did that today? No. But I think we actually converted more than we have. To see just a little bit more ability in that front third is important and I think that’s what we saw today.”
The Owls needed a mere 30 seconds to put pressure on La Salle goalkeeper Abby Boogs. Temple got down the field with ease and drew a penalty corner. Midfielder Tess Muller’s shot flew by the right side of the goal, but the early opportunity put the La Salle defense backs against the wall.
While the offense put pressure on Boogs, the Owls’ defense held the Explorers in check, barely allowing them to get into an offensive groove. Arentz’s goal was the Owls’ second shot of the game and her first goal of her career.
The Owls kept the heat on La Salle’s defense as the second quarter got underway and had multiple chances to double the lead, but were unable to convert. The Owls earned two penalty corners and back Alizé Maes and midfielder Mathea Lassalle each had shots that Boogs saved to keep La Salle in the game.
The second half was a completely different story and after just four minutes, Temple recorded its second goal of the game. The Owls executed a perfect penalty corner, resulting in midfielder Devin Kinzel firing a pass from Muller to double their lead. Temple earned three more penalty corners at the end of the third quarter but were unable to capitalize on the attempts.
“We just have to stick to our gameplan, play as a group and do the simple things,” Kinzel said. “When we get a little frantic and let the other teams set the pace of the game, that’s when we get on the back foot. We just have to keep our game plan, keep the ball, let us set the pace of the game and control the momentum. That seems to work so we have to stick to it.”
Temple tacked on one more goal for good measure early in the fourth quarter when La Salle found the back of the net off a pass from midfielder Peyton Rieger for her first career goal. The Owls drew their first penalty stroke of the season with 14 seconds left and Kinzel beat Boogs to make it a 4-0 Temple lead.
Goalkeeper Isabella Ospitale made her third straight start and did not face any scoring threats until the final period. La Salle’s offense finally woke up in the fourth quarter, firing off three shots on goal, Ospitale saved each chance to preserve the shutout.
“Bella has been consistently showing us that she can be reliable,” Vittese said. “She played very well against UConn and did her job where she needed to. Then the attack has to handle the rest. Each person has to do their job. And I think she did that on Friday, very well, and today, did it remarkably well.”
Temple’s offense was stuck in a rut during its four-game losing streak and finally broke out of its slump against La Salle. The Owls fired off 13 shots, 10 of which were on target. They also drew 10 penalty corners, providing the offense with extra scoring chances.
The Owls will remain home when they take on Old Dominion (5-2, 1-0 Big East) on Sept. 27 at 12 p.m.
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