Temple Makes it Two in a Row with Win over Lafayette

Feb 27, 2017 Ed LeFurge 0 Comments Lafayette Leopards, Temple Lacrosse

Fueled by a dominant second half performance, the Owls won their second game in a row to improve to 4-1 on the season. (Photo: Chris Jackson)

WRITTEN BY: CHRIS JACKSON

It was an uncharacteristically beautiful day in February as the Owls took on the Lafayette Leopards Saturday afternoon. After another high scoring outing against St. Joseph’s University earlier in the week, Temple kept the momentum going, knocking off the Leopards, 18-12.

Starting goalie Kelsea Hershey was nursing an ankle injury, so backup Maryn Lowell got the start in cage. Lowell’s career high 11 saves, combined with a strong defensive effort in the second half, resulted in just four goals allowed after halftime.

For the second time this season, Temple scored 18 goals, with three Owls posting hat tricks. Amber Lambeth and Anna Fredrick each had four goals on the day, while Morgan Glassford added three herself for her second game in a row with three or more goals. Lambeth has also been on fire lately, scoring four goals for the third time in five games.

“Them pressuring high meant that we were able to dump the ball low, and I think that’s where most of my goals came from,” Lambeth said.

While the Owls ultimately filled the stat sheet, the game was close during the first half. Temple wasn’t able to get a lead until the last 30 seconds or so in the half. The Leopards put 17 shots on cage, compared to Temple’s 13, while also dominating the ground game with three more ground balls. Kristen Wilhelmsen was a force for her Lafayette, leading the team with three goals.

After halftime, the Owls looked like a different team. The girls turned up the intensity on both sides of the ball, putting 22 shots on goal in the second period. When asked about her halftime speech to the team, head coach Bonnie Rosen shrugged off her role in creating the second half intensity.

“I think we had to settle in a little bit,” Rosen said. “As a coach, there’s only so much we can say.”

With 2 minutes left in the game, Fredrick scored the final goal of the game, putting the finishing touches on the six-goal win.

The Owls haven’t lost to the Leopards since 1991, so their pride (though they wouldn’t admit it) was definitely on the line coming back out of halftime. Temple will take its budding winning streak to La Salle on Wednesday March 1st.