Field Hockey Narrowly Falls to City Rival Penn, 2-1

Sunday, September 13

Geasey Field

1:00 p.m.

Temple University

(2-4)

Penn

(3-1)

Penn

Temple

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Field Hockey Narrowly Falls to City Rival Penn, 2-1

9.13.15 | Field Hockey

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Temple field hockey dominated offensively for much of the game, but Penn took better advantage of its opportunities and handed the Owls a 2-1 loss at home on Sunday afternoon.

Temple (2-4) struck first early in the second half, but the Quakers (3-1) answered quickly and then scored the game-winner with 12 minutes left. Overall, the Owls had 10 penalty corners to Penn's two, and out-shot the Quakers 17-6.

"The onus is on us today," said Temple head coach Marybeth Freeman. "There were no external things, nothing that Penn did, not the rain. It was all on us. We have some really high-caliber performing athletes, but when we're thinking too much and trying to do too much, that leads us down an unsuccessful path...We'll look at some things, see if we need to shift some things around as far as formation, positions, personnel, but we'll find a way."

The first half was a stalemate with little in the way of offense for either team. Temple had two corners to Penn's one, and two shots on goal compared to none for the Quakers. The defensive units of both teams were quick to thwart any opportunities inside the circle, leading to a 0-0 tie at the half.

The Owls quickly picked up the pace in the second half, and scored just four minutes in when senior Alyssa Delp tipped in a shot by junior Paige Gross.

The lead was unfortunately short-lived, with Penn scoring quickly after the restart. Alexa Hoover gained a strong position on the far post and sent one past Temple goalkeeper Haley Mitchell just a minute and a half after the Owls' goal.

Down the stretch, Temple had a number of corner chances, but Penn's Liz Mata and her defense kept the Owls from scoring again. Mata finished with six saves in the game, four of which came in the second half.

Despite the Owls' pressure, Penn found itself with another chance in the 59th minute, and Elizabeth Hitti made it count with the game-winning goal.

Two of Mata's second-half saves came in the final 10 minutes on shots by Temple's Tricia Light and Alyssa Delp, keeping the Owls from tying the score.

Temple will head back on the road for its next contest, a 3 pm game at Monmouth on Friday, Sept. 18. The game will be televised live on ESPN3.

Box Score