Senior attacker Olivia Thompson’s four goals helped Temple University lacrosse (1-0) beat George Washington University (0-1) 17-8 at Howarth Field Saturday afternoon.
The Owls went up 3-0 within the first three minutes. Getting off to a fast start is important because it gives the team confidence and momentum, coach Bonnie Rosen said.
“For the players, it’s huge to get the early lead, as a coach I recognize games go up and down and lacrosse is a game of swings,” Rosen said. “It’s really nice to play from ahead, we would always choose to play with a lead the whole game.”
The Owls played efficient offense and extended the lead throughout the game. Many players contributed to the success.
Senior attacker and captain Maddie Gebert scored three goals, and junior midfielder Bridget Whitaker and sophomore midfielder Gabrielle Kirsch scored two goals each.
Senior attacker Meghan Hoffman finished with a goal and three assists and senior attacker Abby Overman scored a goal and added two assists.
Freshman attacker Riley McGowan and freshman midfielder Charessa Crosse both scored a goal in their debuts.
“Our freshmen have a ton of talent and they each bring different skill sets to the table,” Rosen said. “Letting them get on the field today and feel comfortable and start to do their stuff was amazing.”
The team prepared for George Washington’s strengths and were ready to handle the Colonials’ speed and ability to drive on goal, Whitaker said.
“We knew they were fast, we knew they had a lot of girls that like to drive and we had a zone to cover that,” Whitaker said. “I think we did a really good job on that.”
The team is happy to win its first game and they’re hoping to bounce back after last year’s 6-11 record. They have high expectations and are ready to surprise people, Thompson said.
“Coming off of last year I think we have a lot of redemption to do, we are all into that mentality,” Thompson said.
The team knows they can improve upon last season. They’re eager to prove themselves for the 2020 season, Kirsch said.
“Last year was not that great of a year,” Kirsch said. “ We are now coming for everybody, we want to show people that we are here and it’s not going to be like last year, we have a very different team this year.”
Next, the Owls will take on Rutgers(1-0) at Howarth Field on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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