Temple University Athletics
Friday, August 27
Philadelphia, Pa
7:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
Merrimack
Photo by: Elita Odartei
Field Hockey to Stay in Philly For Opening Weekend
8.26.21 | Field Hockey
PHILADELPHIA - Following an atypical 2020 season that was played in the spring of 2021, the Temple field hockey team will open its 2021 slate with a pair of games in the City of Brotherly Love by hosting Merrimack on Aug. 27 and heading across town to face Drexel on Aug. 29.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> The Owls earned one more win in 2020-21 than they did in the 2019 season, and six more than they did in the 2018 season.
> Temple doubled its BIG EAST win total from 2019, going 4-8 in league play in the 2020-21 season.
> The team earned a berth to the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2016. The No. 4 seeded Owls faced the eventual champion UConn.
> Temple saw the loss of key players Veronika Novakova and Cristina Carotenuto, who both graduated from the program in the spring. Novkova led the team in assists (5), points (13), shots (24), and tied for the lead in goals (4). Carotenuto was a two-year starting goalkeeper and ended her time in Cherry and White with the sixth-best GAA (1.60) in program history.
> The Cherry and White finished the season with a No. 40 RPI ranking, the best RPI for the team since 2016 (38).
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
> Merrimack is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Megan Shea, compiling a 31-31 record for the program.
> The team's 2020-21 schedule was impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, playing just five total games.
> The Warriors went 0-5 (0-4 NEC), with three of their games being decided by just one goal.
> Juliane Ohmen is the lone multi-goal scorer with two, and the team was outscored 20-4.Â
SERIES HISTORYÂ
> This will be just the second time that Temple will face Merrimack.
> The first meeting between the pair came in 2019, with the Owls claiming a 3-0 victory over the Warriors at Howarth Field.
SCOUTING DREXEL
> Drexel will open the weekend by hosting Longwood on Aug. 27.
> The Dragons went 5-6 (3-3 CAA) in 2020-21, advancing to the CAA Tournament and falling 4-3 in overtime to James Madison in the opening round.
> Eline Di Leva led the team in 2020-21 with six goals and seven assists in her rookie season, and the team was outscored 24-21.
> Junior will look to return in goal for the team, recording 59 of the team's 61 saves for a .720 save percentage.Â
SERIES HISTORY
>Â Temple and Drexel are meeting for the 35th time in series history, with the Owls holding a 20-12-1 advantage.
> The Owls are on a two-game winning streak after snapping a four-game losing streak against the Dragons with a 3-2 win in 2019 and a 1-0 win in 2020-21.
> This will be the first time since 2018 that the meeting will be at Buckley Field.
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SCOUTING TEMPLE
> The Owls earned one more win in 2020-21 than they did in the 2019 season, and six more than they did in the 2018 season.
> Temple doubled its BIG EAST win total from 2019, going 4-8 in league play in the 2020-21 season.
> The team earned a berth to the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2016. The No. 4 seeded Owls faced the eventual champion UConn.
> Temple saw the loss of key players Veronika Novakova and Cristina Carotenuto, who both graduated from the program in the spring. Novkova led the team in assists (5), points (13), shots (24), and tied for the lead in goals (4). Carotenuto was a two-year starting goalkeeper and ended her time in Cherry and White with the sixth-best GAA (1.60) in program history.
> The Cherry and White finished the season with a No. 40 RPI ranking, the best RPI for the team since 2016 (38).
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
> Merrimack is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Megan Shea, compiling a 31-31 record for the program.
> The team's 2020-21 schedule was impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, playing just five total games.
> The Warriors went 0-5 (0-4 NEC), with three of their games being decided by just one goal.
> Juliane Ohmen is the lone multi-goal scorer with two, and the team was outscored 20-4.Â
SERIES HISTORYÂ
> This will be just the second time that Temple will face Merrimack.
> The first meeting between the pair came in 2019, with the Owls claiming a 3-0 victory over the Warriors at Howarth Field.
SCOUTING DREXEL
> Drexel will open the weekend by hosting Longwood on Aug. 27.
> The Dragons went 5-6 (3-3 CAA) in 2020-21, advancing to the CAA Tournament and falling 4-3 in overtime to James Madison in the opening round.
> Eline Di Leva led the team in 2020-21 with six goals and seven assists in her rookie season, and the team was outscored 24-21.
> Junior will look to return in goal for the team, recording 59 of the team's 61 saves for a .720 save percentage.Â
SERIES HISTORY
>Â Temple and Drexel are meeting for the 35th time in series history, with the Owls holding a 20-12-1 advantage.
> The Owls are on a two-game winning streak after snapping a four-game losing streak against the Dragons with a 3-2 win in 2019 and a 1-0 win in 2020-21.
> This will be the first time since 2018 that the meeting will be at Buckley Field.
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Players Mentioned
GK
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