Field Hockey to Close Conference Slate With Big 5 Rival

PHILADELPHIA - With the final two games in conference play left on the schedule, the Temple field hockey team will play a home-and-home with Big 5 rival Villanova this weekend. This will be the first two of the final three games of the regular season for the Owls.

Scouting Temple
> The Owls are 5-9 on the season, falling in both games at #6 Liberty last weekend.
> Temple scored twice against the Flames, with junior Nienke Oerlemans scoring both.
> Oerlemans leads the team with three goals. Graduate student Veronika Novakova and freshman Cassie Romanczuk tie for second with two goals apiece. Novakova scored the game-winner in the season opener and the game-tying goal against ODU, while Romanczuk scored her first career goal in the 2-1 overtime loss at Villanova and the game-winner against Providence. Six other Owls have found the back of the cage this season, with Kaitlyn Cummins scoring her first career goal in the 3-2 shootout loss to Providence.
> Novakova leads the team in shots with 19, while Claire Thomas ranks second with 15 and Kerrie Lorenz is third with 13.
> Cristina Carotenuto has recorded 58 saves and four clean sheets this season.

Senior Salute
> Temple field hockey will honor six student-athletes as part of senior day activities prior to hosting Villanova on Sunday.
> Taylor Alba, Elaine Bachelder, Dani Batze, Cristina Carotenuto, Veronika Novakova, and Mia Sexton will all be recognized.

Scouting Villanova
> Villanova is 4-8 (3-7 BIG EAST) on the season and will enter the weekend on a two-game losing streak.
> The Wildcats hosted UConn last weekend, falling 8-0 and 3-0 to the Huskies.
> Meghan Mitchell leads the team with eight goals, while Sabine de Ruijter fired a team-leading 29 shots.
> The Wildcats have allowed the most goals (44) in the conference but leads the league in saves (68).
> Jordan McGinley leads the team with 34 saves for a 2.59 GAA and a .654 save percentage.

Series History
> Temple and Villanova have met 21 times in series history, with the Owls holding a 14-7 series advantage.
> The Owls earned a 3-0 win at home over the Wildcats last season, snapping a three-game skid against Villanova.
> The teams split the series last month, with Temple earning a 1-0 victory at Villanova before the Wildcats defeated the Owls 2-1 in overtime at Howarth Field.

Field Hockey to Close Conference Slate With Big 5 Rival

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Alba

Elaine Bachelder

Dani Batze

Cristina Carotenuto

Kaitlyn Cummins

Kerrie Lorenz

Veronika Novakova

Nienke Oerlemans

Cassie Romanczuk

Mia Sexton

Claire Thomas

Temple University Athletics