Women’s Soccer Defeats Wagner 2-1 Under the Lights Wednesday Night

Wednesday, September 18

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

2-3-3

Wagner

2-6

Wagner

Temple

Photo by: Zamani Feelings

Women’s Soccer Defeats Wagner 2-1 Under the Lights Wednesday Night

9.18.19 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Highlights Post-Game Interview- Coach O'Connor

PHILADELPHIA—Temple women's soccer (2-3-3, 0-0 AAC) put on a strong team performance on Wednesday night, topping Wagner (2-6, 0-0 NEC) 2-1 at the Temple Sports Complex. The Owls victory was fueled by an explosive offensive performance in the second half with goals from sophomore Hailey Gutowski and Gabriela Johnson.

How it Happened
> The first 45 minutes of action were marked by back-and-forth action, as both Temple and Wagner recorded four shots and were trading possession throughout. The best scoring opportunity for the Owls came in the 43rd minute when Temple earned a free kick. Junior Marissa DiGenova sent a rocket of a free kick on frame, but her formidable attempt ricocheted off the crossbar.
> Entering the second half tied 0-0, the Owls came out firing. Just 37 seconds into play, Temple went out to a 1-0 lead. Emma Wilkins got the action going for the Owls and found Johnson in the attacking third. Gutowski collected the pass from Johnson and booted it into the back of net for her second score in as many contests.
> Putting on more pressure in the 49th minute, Wilkins found Gutowski on the left side of the box. She ripped a shot across the mouth of the goal, but it traveled just wide of the target.
> In the 58th minute, junior Bella Sorrentino fed Johnson at the top of the box. Johnson made some space and launched a shot, forcing the Wagner keeper to make a diving save.
> Less than a minute later, Johnson would not be denied her scoring opportunity. DiGenova sent a well-placed ball into the box and found Johnson, who buried it into the back of the net to give the Owls a 2-0 advantage.
> Wagner responded with a goal of its own in the 61st minute. Mariana Jamamillo connected with Maria Nunez off a corner kick to score the Seahawks' sole goal of the evening.
> In the 80th minute, Wagner was still pressing for an equalizer. Autumn Clark sent a dangerous bending free kick to the upper right corner, but Morgan Basileo made a great save to keep the score 2-1.
> The Owls' defense was instrumental in securing the victory for the squad. In the waning minutes of the match, several defenders made key stops to prevent Wagner from getting a quality look on frame.

Match Notes
> Gutowski and Johnson each tallied their second goal of the season Wednesday night. Johnson's three-point performance (1g, 1a) moved her into the top spot on the Owls' offensive production list with six points (2g, 2a) on the year. Gutowski is close behind with five points to her name (2g, 1a) and DiGenova has four (1g, 2a).
> Basileo made seven saves, keeping the Seahawks at bay and increasing her season total to 61.
> Temple maintained its perfect record against Wagner, moving to 7-0-0 all-time against the Seahawks with tonight's victory.

From the Coach
> "I thought the ladies were very patient tonight," said head coach Seamus O'Connor. "It tires the other team out when you keep going at it like we did today. The beauty of playing that way we do is that you lull them to sleep in the first half and then can come out attacking and outwork them in the second half."
> "We have worked very hard on the shape of our midfield and defense and it showed today," said O'Connor. "We have some players in new positions and that are new to the team that are still learning the system, so it's still a work in progress, but they have all done a fantastic job."

Up Next
> Temple is staying local for its next match as it travels to cross-town foe Penn on Sunday, Sept. 22. The contest between the Owls and the Quakers is set to kick off at 6 p.m.