Temple Storms Back Late, But Falls 3-2 in Overtime

WRITTEN BY: JACOB GUZDEK

A furious two-goal rally in the final six minutes of the second half was enough for the Owls to push the game to overtime. But about 10 minutes into the extra session, Providence senior forward Adrienne Houle found the back of the net to give the Friars a 3-2 victory.

Providence scored its first goal 12 minutes into the game after being awarded a penalty corner. The foul occurred outside the circle, but was deemed an intentional foul. The Friars were able to take advantage of the corner, with junior forward Megan Hamilton burying home a shot off the rebound to give them a 1-0 lead.

Providence extended its lead to 2-0 with about three minutes left in the half after a goal by sophomore forward Natalie Mitchell.

The Friars held the Owls scoreless in the first half thanks to a number of diving stops on penalty corners by junior goalkeeper Megan Guilbert.

Facing a 2-0 deficit coming out of halftime, the Owls were able to fend off two early penalty corners from Providence. They made it clear that they weren’t going down without a fight by displaying a relentless offensive effort.

“At halftime, coach told us that we needed to believe in ourselves and believe we can come back in this game,” said redshirt junior forward Sarah Keer. “I think we came out with a positive attitude and a good mindset and I think those things translated into us having great offensive pressure the whole half.”

Temple finally broke through on its sixth penalty corner of the half and twelfth of the game when junior midfielder Rachel Mueller was able cut the Friars’ lead to one.

Sensing a huge momentum shift, Providence called a timeout after the goal, but that didn’t slow down the Owls. Just over a minute after Mueller’s goal, freshman midfielder Maddie Merton scored one herself, as she was able to pick the top left corner of the net on a reverse hit from the top of the circle. Just like that, the game was tied at two.

“That goal will definitely make the highlight reel,” said head coach Marybeth Freeman. “She is someone who is real crafty with her stick, and she did a great job of executing on that goal today.”

The Owls were able to generate two more penalty corners in the final two minutes, but weren’t able to put home the go-ahead goal.

Overtime consisted primarily of back-and-forth, with a number lead-passes flying out of bounds past each baseline. Once Providence got it into the circle, however, Houle seized the opportunity, scoring the game-winner.

Temple finished the contest with 12 shots on goal and 14 penalty corners, while Providence recorded 14 shots on goal and seven penalty corners.

The Owls will be back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. as they take on Monmouth University at Howarth Field.