Temple University Athletics
Women's Soccer Opens A-10 Slate Friday at La Salle
9.30.11 | Women's Soccer
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PHILADELPHIA – Atlantic 10 Conference play opens Friday evening for the Temple Owls when they head a few miles up Broad Street to take on city-rival La Salle for a 7:00 p.m. tilt on the turf of McCarthy Stadium.
Friday's matchup will mark the first time since 2009 that the Owls and Explorers have gone head-to-head. In their previous meeting, Temple fell short, losing 1-0 at McCarthy Stadium. La Salle slightly leads the all-time series, 9-8-1.
The Owls (3-6-0) are coming off a 1-1 weekend, where they shut out Francis Marion, 1-0, before losing to Siena, 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Temple knocked off Francis Marion compliments of a successful penalty kick attempt by sophomore Karly O'Toole and a solid effort in goal by redshirt junior goalkeeper Tara Murphy. In that game, the Owls also saw leading scorer, senior Niki Conn return to the field after being sidelined for the previous two games due to an injury. In what turned out to be a very balanced match, Siena pounded the Owls with two goals late in the second half to hand the Owls a home loss.
Over the course of the last two games, senior Gillian Kacsuta has seen significant playing time out of her normal territory. Listed as a goalkeeper, Kacsuta has seen extensive time as a forward, where she's been able to help spread the field while providing speed up the middle.
La Salle is in the midst of a six-game homestand and is fresh off a 1-0 win over Lehigh. The Explorers are off to a perfect start this season, going 8-0-1. Not only did they go undefeated in non-conference play, but they are the only team in Division I to yet allow a goal.
Earlier this week when the first rating percentage indexes were released, La Salle earned national recognition, receiving votes for the first time in program history. In the latest NSCAA Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, the Explorers are ranked third.
Senior goalkeeper Melissa Sanger recently broke the school record for career shutouts. Freshman Kelsey Haycock has scored six times, while senior Jess Hopton has had a hand in five Explorer tallies this season to lead the scoring charge for the Explorers.
