Temple Fueled by 8-0 Run in Victory Over UMBC
WRITTEN BY: CHRISTOPHER JACKSON
“That’s four straight,” a parent said before leaving the Temple Sports Complex on Saturday.
Fans huddled to stay warm as they watched the Owls impressively handle business against UMBC (4-2) winning by a decisive score of 12-5. The Owls are now 6-1 on the season, with one more game until conference play begins.
“Having all these wins right now is a really great feeling, and it’s a cushion for us when you’re talking about our record,” head coach Bonnie Rosen said. “The best part about today is that we get six games to prep for our next game against Bucknell, so we get a chance to actually get better.”
The first half wasn’t a track meet like most of Temple’s games this season. The game was locked in a defensive stalemate after the first 10 minutes of play. The score at halftime was a mere 2-2, but it wouldn’t stay this way for long.
With 20:36 left in the half, senior Brooke Williams scored off of a beautiful cut and feed from sophomore standout Amber Lambeth, knotting the game up at five. Rosen, who cited the weather as a definite factor in the girl’s fatigue, then called a timeout to give the girls a breather.
“Temperatures are hard,” Rosen said. “Hands get cold. I think early on you saw some of those mistakes with the way we played. There were times we were running against the wind getting winded periodically. I was really happy with the way the girls handled the elements today.”
After the timeout, the Owls never looked back. Williams found senior Krissy Gallivan on the doorstep to take a 6-5 lead with 14:05 remaining. As Temple surged, UMBC remained scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Senior Carly Demato scored two freebies, making the score 8-5, and junior Kira Gensler pushed the lead to four with 10 minutes left in regulation. The final three goals came from Demato, Gallivan, and senior Brenda McDermott, to close out the victory against the Retrievers.
Demato had a huge day, posting a hat trick to lead Temple in the scoring department. The senior converted all three of her free position opportunities off of UMBC penalties.
“If you can move the ball around a lot, it gets the defense moving around a lot as well and makes them really tired,” Demato said. “ If you can make that backside cut, they’re flying at you, so they either have to foul you, or aren’t going to be there to contest a shot.”
Other standout stars from Saturday’s game include Williams, who recorded five total points, pairing one goal with her career-high four assists, and freshman goalkeeper Maryn Lowell, who improved to 4-0 on the season.
The Owls have a long break until returning to the field. They host Bucknell on Sunday at 1 p.m. in their last non-conference game of the season.
