Through the first three-quarters of Temple’s game against Lafayette Sunday, the Owls’ offense was at a standstill. Temple was hoping to extend its historic win streak to eight games but had not found the back of the net and was in a one-goal hole entering the final quarter of play.
Temple earned a penalty corner 35 seconds into the fourth quarter and back Alizé Maes tipped in the pass from midfielder Devin Kinzel to tie the game at one. After that goal, the teams went scoreless for the final 15 minutes, sending Temple to its fifth overtime game of the season.
Temple had a chance to end things quickly when overtime kicked off as midfielder Peyton Rieger had a shot 97 seconds in, but it was saved. Four minutes later, Lafayette was applying pressure on Temple’s defense looking to end the game. Lafayette midfielder Lineke Spaans snuck a ball past Temple goalkeeper Isabella Ospitale to secure the win and hand the Owls their first loss in a month.
No. 20 Temple (9-5, 4-1 Big East Conference) fell in overtime to Lafayette (9-6, 3-1 Patriot League) 2-1 at Rappolt Field on Sunday afternoon. The loss marks Temple’s first loss in exactly a month, with its last defeat coming against then-No. 14 UConn on Sept. 20.
Lafayette came out of the gate on fire. The Leopards fired off their first shot just 45 seconds into the game which was stopped by the Owls’ defense. Lafayette continued to have Temple’s defense on their heels, firing off five shots in the first quarter alone and holding Temple to no shots.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Leopards finally capitalized on their early aggression. Midfielder Stella Malinowski was awarded a penalty stroke shot, presenting Ospitale with an early challenge. Malinowski got the best of Ospitale, finding the back of the net to give Lafayette a 1-0 lead.
Temple’s offense finally got the wheels turning in the second quarter and fired off three shots at Lafayette goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni, who stopped all of them. Lafayette had two more shots and Ospitale saved both attempts to keep Temple in the game and hold Lafayette to just a one-goal lead entering halftime.
Both offenses struggled to find their footing coming out of the locker room. Each team only had one shot in the third quarter as the defenses and physical play took over. It was a physical match from both sides as they racked up a staggering 52 fouls combined, which disrupted the flow and intensity on the field.
Maes’ pivotal goal to open the fourth quarter gave Temple new life as both searched for the go-ahead goal in the final frame. With two minutes left in regulation, forward Mathéa Lassalle attempted to give Temple the lead only to have her shot blocked by Fragomeni. Both teams were unable to find the back of the net again, forcing the game into overtime tied at one.
Temple had won three overtime games during its seven-game win streak and looked to continue its good fortune in extra time. Rieger had a clear shot 97 seconds in but missed the goal wide right. Lafayette returned pressure just a minute later, also missing to keep the game tied. It was Spaans who was finally able to find the back of the net again at the five-minute mark and hand the ranked Owls an upset loss.
The Owls’ offense started slow and was never able to fully find offensive momentum. Temple had just seven shots and its defense was under pressure for much of the match, facing 12 shots. Ospitale played well again, making three saves but could not come up with the crucial stop in overtime.
Temple will remain on the road and take on Villanova (7-7, 2-3 Big East) on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
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