Temple University women’s soccer earned its first of the season against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 3-1, on Thursday in Baltimore, Maryland.
After being shut out in their season opener against Wake Forest University, the Owls were more aggressive offensively against the Retrievers, coach Seamus O’Connor said.
“It was a good response to the Wake Forest game,” O’Connor said. “The team took responsibility and learned from it. They had a good week of practice and they showed up with a point to prove.”
Senior forward Morgan Morocco opened up the scoring in the 19th minute on a pass from sophomore forward Gabriela Johnson.
Junior forward Emma Wilkins then scored in the 25th minute to give the Owls a two-goal lead.
The Retrievers cut the lead in half in the 61st minute on a penalty kick from junior forward Christina Corbi. Corbi was awarded a penalty kick after junior defender Marissa DiGenova grabbed her shirt and Corbi fell down.
“It was a chippy game, and we just got involved in something we shouldn’t have gotten involved in,” O’Connor said. “We’ll learn from it. We’ll make sure next time not to get engaged in that situation where we allow that to manufacture a penalty like that.”
The Owls responded in the 81st minute on a goal from junior midfielder Bella Sorrentino to make the score 3-1. Sorrentino, who scored her first collegiate goal, headed the ball into the net off a corner kick from DiGenova.
Senior goalkeeper Morgan Basileo saved six of the seven shots she faced. Basileo’s saves in the 32nd and 61st minutes helped the Owls’ secure their lead, O’Connor said.
“She was definitely called on twice to make big saves and she did,” O’Connor said. “She didn’t have a ton of work to do, but she played well off her lines. She got rid of a lot of threats.”
After defeating UMBC, the Owls could not continue their winning ways as they lost 3-1 to Sacred Heart University on Sunday afternoon in Fairfield, Connecticut.
After the Owls equalized in the 63rd minute on a goal from Johnson, the Pioneers scored two late goals to put the game away.
The Owls held a 10-8 advantage in shots on net and had two more chances from the corner with nine compared to the Pioneer’s seven. Pioneers freshman goalkeeper Elyssa Kipperman made nine saves compared to Basileo’s five.
The Owls put some chances on net early. Johnson, Wilkins and senior forward Hannah Alexander all had opportunities to score in between the 10th and 14th minutes, but Kipperman stopped each attempt.
The Pioneers jumped on the board first in the 29th minute when Meadow Mancini was able to get the best of Basileo.
Senior defenders Emily Keitel and KJ Waghorne both had chances during the last ten minutes of the first half to even the score. Keitel sent a tough shot on net in the 34th minute but Kipperman made the save. Waghorne’s shot went wide in the 39th minute, but she got another chance in the 40th minute, which Kipperman saved.
The Owls’ came out in the second half with several chances on net. Johnson, Wilkins, DiGenova and juniors Djavon Dupree and Julia Dolan all had chances within a six-minute span from the 50th to 56th minute, but Kipperman saved every shot.
In the 65th minute, the Owls once again found themselves on the short end of the stick. Freshman midfielder Michelle Clarkin beat Basileo to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead.
Clarkin scored another goal in the 80th minute to extend the Pioneers’ lead to two.
The Owls’ had two chances from the corner in the 88th and 90th minute of play, but weren’t able to convert either.
Next, the Owls will play at home for the first time this season on Thursday when they host Lehigh University.
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