By: Zach Gephart
PHILADELPHIA - In Temple University’s first true test of the season, the Owls fell short against a commanding Bulldogs team.
Yale University traveled to Howarth field early Saturday looking to keep their perfect record intact. Headlined by top scorers in junior Fallon Vaughn and senior Chloe Conaghan, the Bulldogs looked to build off ktheir previous win against Quinnipiac University. Temple, on the other hand, also entered the matchup undefeated. After a strong win against the University of Delaware, all sights were set on keeping their momentum rolling.
The Bulldogs would quickly extinguish the Owls, with a decisive shot differential of Yale’s 38 to Temple’s 16. Juniors Sky Carrasquillo and Taylor Everson would prove to be the stars of the game, with the two both finishing with hat tricks. In addition to the six points provided by the duo, Vaughn would add two goals of her own. Temple’s Belle Mastropietro and Amelia Wright would share two scores a piece themselves, however they would ultimately fall in a 13-5 loss.
The first period would find the Owls drawing first blood, with a goal scored by Mastropietro to grab the early lead. However, Yale would roar back, scoring three unanswered goals on the backs of Carrasquillo, Everson, and junior Jenna Collignon. As the opening quarter of play finished, the Bulldogs would hold a 3-1 lead.
Leading into the second period, Yale would began an assertive run.
The Bulldogs would follow up their strong start with three more goals, two of which came in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Conaghan would begin with an assist to Everson, which would quickly be followed up by an additional score by Carrasquillo. Temple would find themselves in penalty trouble this quarter, as three separate calls would go in Yale’s favor. The Owls found themselves looking for answers as Yale took a stern 6-1 lead going into halftime.
Temple vs. Yale - PSD Game Highlights by Zach Gephart
As the second half opened, the Bulldogs continued to flex their muscles. Fallon would open with a score, but that would only be the start. Everson, Carrasquillo, and junior Taylor Lane would each add goals of their own, swelling Yale’s lead to a massive 10-1 differential. Their nine point run would then finally be answered, as sophomore Emily Liberio scored in the final minute of the third to put the Owls back on the board.
Temple would return to form in the fourth quarter, as junior Amelia Wright would score off of an assist from Liberio to bring the score to 10-3. However, Fallon would respond with a goal of her own less than a minute later to bring the Bulldogs’ lead back to eight points. Mastropietro and Wright would battle back with a flurry of scores themselves, adding an additional two to Temple’s total. Carrasquillo and Conaghan paired up for the final pair of points as the match came to a close, concluding a stellar defensive performance for Yale.
Temple will look to bounce back when they host the University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon. As for the Bulldogs, they will travel to Princeton University to take on the Tigers with hopes of keeping their perfect season alive.