Sophomore midfielder Maddie Gebert dodged to the right as she drove to the net. She got enough space to fling a shot past Cincinnati junior goalkeeper Giuliana Durso and end the game with her 19th goal of the season in double overtime.
“For her to step up to that big moment and finish it, that was huge for her,” coach Bonnie Rosen said.
Temple (7-3, 2-0 Big East Conference) had trailed or been tied with Cincinnati (6-3, 0-2 Big East Conference) for most of the game. But the Owls scored three of the last four goals of the game to beat the Bearcats, 9-8, in double overtime at Howarth Field. The win extended Temple’s winning streak to four games.
A pair of goals within the span of 40 seconds midway through the second half by senior attacker Kira Gensler and sophomore midfielder Meghan Hoffman gave Temple an 8-7 lead. Both goals were assisted by sophomore midfielder Julia Ryan. She also tallied one goal in the victory.
“Julia did a great job, she really doesn’t get too much playing time,” said Gebert, who scored two goals on nine shots in the win. “But she practices more than anybody else I know on those feeds. And it really showed today.”
With four minutes, 33 seconds left in the second half, sophomore midfielder McKenna Rushford, Cincinnati’s leading scorer, scored her fourth goal of the game to tie the score 8-8.
The tie held for about seven minutes, but not without some close calls.
Sophomore goalkeeper Maryn Lowell made a goal-saving stop on Rushford at the end of the first overtime.
“It was definitely gut-wrenching to know that they had the ball,” Lowell said.
Gebert had a free position shot in the last minute of the first overtime. She shot right after the referee’s whistle — a similar tactic she used against the University of Denver to help the Owls win last week, but was unable to score.
“I over-thought that one a little bit,” Gebert said. “But I ended up winning so I’m not beating myself up too much over that. I’m going to let it go and move on.”
The Owls will look to extend their winning streak against Marquette University (6-4, 2-0 Big East Conference) on March 31 at 3 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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