Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/11/15
From Press Release
Nicole Tiernan (Washington Township) converted a free position goal with less than two minutes to go in overtime to lift hostTemple to a 10-9 win over UMBC today in its season opener.
Neither team ever held more than a two-goal lead in a back-and-forth, evenly matched contest.
Freshman Nicole Barretta (Downingtown East) made an impressive debut for Temple with a hat trick in her first career game, while Tiernan and Kirstie Connor scored two goals apiece. Three others also scored a goal for the Owls, including Carly Demato (Shawnee), Haile Houck and Rachel Schwaab who finished with two points thanks to a goal and an assist.
The Owls have now won their season opener in each of the last four years. It was only their second overtime contest in the past three seasons, both wins.
It took Temple awhile to get going, with the Retrievers taking a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Barretta was the first to get the Owls on the board with an unassisted shot in the 14th minute. Three minutes later, Connor tied it up and Tiernan quickly followed with her first free position goal of the day to give Temple its first lead at 3-2.
Halftime saw the game’s third tie at 4-4, and the first 13 minutes of the second half saw two more ties before UMBC was able to pull back ahead by two.
Trailing 8-6 with 12:15 remaining, the Owls got a first career goal on a free position from freshman Houck. As the clock wound down under 10, Barretta took charge and scored her second and third goals in a 33-second span to put the Owls up 9-8 with 8:09 to go.
Temple held off UMBC for over five minutes, but the Retrievers’ Mackenzie Reese tied it up at 9-9 with three minutes remaining. Her goal would prove to be the last in regulation. Play was sloppy early in overtime with turnovers by both teams, and in the final minutes the Owls found themselves a player down due to a yellow card on Barretta.
Connor picked up a ground ball on a UMBC turnover and Tiernan was able to draw the foul for an 8-meter chance. She got her second one of the day to go, and Temple goalkeeper Jaqi Kakalecik made a big save with 47 seconds left in overtime to preserve the win.
Temple will go for win number two when the Owls head to nearby Saint Joseph’s for a 3:00 p.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 14.
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