Women’s Soccer Falls 2-0 at SMU in Conference Opener

Thursday, September 20

Dallas, Texas

8:00 P.M.

Temple University

4-6-0 (0-1-0AAC)

SMU

6-2-1 (1-0-0AAC)

Temple University

SMU

Women’s Soccer Falls 2-0 at SMU in Conference Opener

9.20.18 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

DALLAS - Temple women's soccer (4-6, 0-1) took on a tough opponent in SMU (6-2-1, 1-0) in its conference opener. The Owls endured a weather delay and battled hard against the Mustangs, but ultimately fell 2-0.

Keys to the Match
> One of the Owls' best looks on goal came from a Kerri McGinley shot in the 51st minute. McGinley fired a formidable bouncing ball into the box. The Mustangs' goalie was able to collect the ball off an eye-level bounce to keep McGinley off the scoresheet.
> Marissa DiGenova blocked a 33rd-minute shot attempt by SMU's Vanessa Valadez. Valadez corralled the rebound of her teammate's shot that ricocheted off the right upper 90 crossbar and had a solid look on goal, but DiGenova was well-positioned and obstructed the shot.
> After a scoreless first half, SMU got on the board in the 59th minute with a goal by Celiana Torres, and again in the 75th minute due to an Allie Thornton goal.

Match Notes
> The match was delayed an hour and 30 minutes due to rain and lightning. The heavy rain prior to play and the light rain in the beginning of the first half contributed to the slick playing surface.
> Five minutes into the match, lockdown defense by Aisha Brown resulted in a thwarted shot inside the six-yard box.
> In half of SMU's previous matches, the Mustangs have tallied a pair of goals before the 30 minute mark. Mustangs had several offensive opportunities, but strong play by the Owls' defense kept the match notched at zero through the first 58 minutes of play.

Quotable
> "We could tell that SMU's frustration was growing and growing," said head coach Seamus O'Connor. "At halftime the girls rallied. The second half we started great, we were starting to take momentum. We were getting more attacks and more chances, which was great to see on the road."
> "We cause mistakes, but we don't punish other teams for them," said O'Connor. "That's something that has to improve on Sunday against Houston. Obviously we need to limit our mistakes, but we need to do a better job of putting teams under so much pressure that they make mistakes that we can then capitalize on."

Next Up
Temple wraps up its six-game road stretch as they travel to Houston. The Owls will face the Cougars on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. EST.