The women’s soccer team completed the Fairfield Inn by Marriot Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va. with a 2-0 loss against James Madison on Sunday afternoon.
The Owls were deadlocked with the Dukes at the end of the first half, as neither team was able to score with strong defensive play.
It was not until the 71st minute that James Madison got onto the board with a goal by freshman midfielder Kelly Kerrigan to give James Madison the lead.
Nearly two minutes later in the 73rd minute, Dukes’ redshirt-freshman defender Eileen Sechler notched a goal of her own to give James Madison a two-goal lead.
“We played great defense today for 70 minutes,” coach Matt Gwilliam said. “We defended well as a group and kept shots at a long range.”
For the Owls, the loss was noted by their lack of shots in the match. With four shots in the match and only one shot on goal, tallied by freshman defender Erin Lafferty, the Owls fell short to a strong defensive performance by James Madison.
Leading Temple was senior midfielder Jourdan Brill with two shots in the match, which helped her to be named to the Fairfield Inn by Marriot All-Tournament Team.
On the opposing side, the Dukes recorded 24 total shots in the match, 14 of which were shots on goal.
“[James Madison] played very well defensively today,” Gwilliam said. “They sniffed out our opportunities and never allowed us to get into a groove.”
Despite allowing two goals in the match, redshirt senior goalkeeper Tara Murphy provided the Owl’s with a season high 12 saves of the 14 shots on goal by James Madison.
With three games under their belt this season, the Owls fall to 0-2-1 with the loss to James Madison. The Dukes improved to 2-1-0 after the shutout win.
Although Temple lost both matches of the Fairfield Inn by Marriot Invitational, the Owls saw this tournament as an opportunity to prepare for the Big East.
The 3-1 loss to Hofstra on Friday, Aug. 24. allowed Temple the chance to face top-notch talent, as Hofstra received votes in the national polls entering the tournament.
Along with Hofstra, James Madison was another match in which the Owls knew was going to be one where they must be at their best throughout the duration of gameplay.
“We knew they would be athletic, physical and strong,” Gwilliam said. “We just have to work on the little things.”
With one season left until their entrance into the Big East, coach Gwilliam saw both Hofstra and James Madison as the team’s best chance to prepare for the more difficult competition that will come with the Big East.
The Owl’s will have a chance to grab their first win of the season in their next match at the Ambler Sports Complex against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Friday, Aug. 31. at 4 p.m.
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