By: Zach Gephart
PHILADELPHIA - After a back-and-forth first half, midfielders Erin King and Maeve Tobin helped Temple University pull away in the third period to keep their win streak alive.
Old Dominion University desperately needed a win leading into Saturday’s matchup. The Monarchs had previously lost four straight, with the most recent being a catastrophic 19-4 collapse against the 11th-ranked University of Florida. While their scoring was not an issue during this span, their defense was. The Monarchs gave up 22 second-half goals during the stretch, essentially eliminating any chances of comebacks. Their bright spot, however, had come in the form of attacker Lilly Siskind. Scoring five goals across the team’s last three games, she looked to help Old Dominion get back into the win column. Temple, on the other hand, walked onto Howarth Field riding a two-game win streak. After a close 10-8 win over Vanderbilt, the Owls traveled to East Carolina University where a final score of 13-8 fell in their favor. Midfielder Belle Mastropietro and attacker Julie Schickling each dominated across these two contests with the duo combining for 13 goals.
The two squads duked it out in the first half, with Temple grabbing two quick scores to put them up early. Yet, the Monarchs did not go down without a fight, responding with three unanswered goals of their own, two of which came from Siskind. As the second half opened, the Owls silenced the noise. Temple scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter to pull the game out of reach. Midfielders Erin King and Maeve Tobin helped put the match on ice, with the two both finishing the day with hat tricks. Despite their huge performances, the Owls found a way to get everyone involved. Seven different players contributed to the scoring sheet as they handled the Monarchs 12-5.
Temple vs. Old Dominion Game Highlights by Zach Gephart for PSD:
“I think that we are literally the definition of a team,” said Tobin. “... Even if one girl got the shot off, there was three other people in the background that helped [make that happen].”
Temple’s Amelia Wright was the first to break the bank, scoring just a few minutes into the opening period of play. Mere moments later, senior Hannah Schrader cashed in herself to help the Owls sprint out to an early 2-goal lead. The Monarchs immediately responded with a three-goal run of their own, with the first coming from Siskind. Sophomore Emma Rowland was the next to score, followed by another late goal from Siskind. Junior Sydney Taylor’s two assists helped Old Dominion take an early 3-2 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
The second period followed the same script as the first, with Schickling scoring for the Owls to knot the game at three a piece. Attacker Mackenzie Roth was the next to get in on the action as Temple took back a one-point lead. Yet again though, the Monarchs responded. This time, midfielder Emma Arnold got one to hit the back of the net to even the score once more. As the first half winded down, Mastropietro scored one final time to give the Owls a narrow 5-4 lead heading into the break.
Temple then opened the second half with a full-on barrage.
The trio of King, Tobin, and Mastropietro came together to dismantle Old Dominion in the third quarter. A quick strike from Roth to King began the rally, putting the Owls up two scores less than a minute into the second half. Next, Tobin found her way to the net off of an assist from Mastropietro. To complement the assist, Mastropietro zipped one in herself only a few minutes later. Tobin and King continued to build on this momentum with the two both scoring as the third period came to a close. Temple’s flurry of scores, in addition to Roth’s three third-quarter assists, helped the Owls dash out to a 10-4 lead as the finish line approached.
Post game interview with Temple midfielder Maeve Tobin - PSD Video by Zach Gephart
Post game interview with Temple junior midfielder Erin King - PSD Video by Zach Gephart
Rowland ended Old Dominion’s scoring drought in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring an unassisted goal to cut the Temple lead down to five. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, this was the only time they would hit nylon in the entire second half. As for Temple, they continued to score. Tobin added to her performance with another goal, this time off of an assist from sophomore Lexi Culp. King added one final score at the five-minute mark as the Owls walked off with the win.
“I think we’ve learned a lot these past three games about ourselves,” said King. “...going into these next three tough games, I think we’re going to keep mastering what we’ve already tried to accomplish.”
Temple will travel to 12th-ranked James Madison University on Saturday with their eyes set on extending their winning streak to four games. Old Dominion, on the other hand, will head back home with hopes of breaking their losing spell against Vanderbilt.