Temple University lacrosse took advantage of Connecticut’s four yellow cards that left them a player down Saturday.
The Owls (4-8, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) beat Connecticut, 17-13, to win its first-ever American Athletic Conference victory in program history in Storrs, Connecticut.
“When it came down to it, we stayed really composed and played a team game,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. “It was really nice to have a game where, once we took the lead, we didn’t let them come back after that beginning period of battling back and forth.”
UConn (2-11, 0-2 The American) received four yellow cards in the game, including two in the final minute of the first half.
Having a player advantage allowed the Owls to take the momentum of the game and play on UConn’s side of the field, Rosen said.
Huskies sophomore midfielder Sydney Watson was issued a yellow card just six minutes, 39 seconds into the second half. The Owls were able to score three consecutive goals in under two minutes with a man up and take a four goal lead at 14-10.
“The big difference, in the end, were the cardable fouls that really us the opportunity to take some momentum and run with it,” Rosen added
Junior attackers Maddie Gebert and Olivia Thompson each scored five goals. Gebert now leads the team with 24 goals and 26 points. Thompson crossed her 20-goal mark with her fourth goal of the game early in the second half.
The two scored two goals each in a span of five minutes to take a 10-7 lead early in the second half.
“I am thrilled that both of them had the kind of goal production that they had today,” Rosen said. “It’s something that makes a huge difference in our game, obviously.”
Gebert said that throughout the game, the offensive players discussed how to “control what [they] could control.”
“We talked about every single goal, what we found weakness-wise on the other team,” Gebert added. “I think we did a good job capitalizing on what we found [after] every single goal and expanding on that.”
Senior midfielder and captain Amber Lambeth scored a hat trick on Saturday, bringing her season goal total to 12.
Sophomore midfielder Bridget Whitaker led all players with four assists. Whitaker is the team leader in assists with 11 this season.
“I think we adjusted a lot faster than UConn did,” Gebert said. “We took advantage of what we had scouted and what we saw on the field.”
At the end of the first half, the teams were tied with six goals each. Temple junior midfielder Kimmy Weinstock scored her first goal of the season on a free-position shot with 47 seconds remaining before halftime.
“The [halves of] the game [were] pretty similar, it just was a matter of staying strong and consistent,” Rosen said. “And when we had the chance to take the lead, to just keep playing.”
The Owls will be on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday, April 13.
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