Field Hockey Season Ends in the A-10 Semifinals With a 5-2 Loss to #19 Massachusetts

Friday, November 2

Amherst, Mass.

2:00 PM

Temple University

(12-9)

Massachusetts (A-10 Semifinal)

(13-8)

Temple

UMass

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Field Hockey Season Ends in the A-10 Semifinals With a 5-2 Loss to #19 Massachusetts

11.2.12 | Field Hockey

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – The season is over for Temple field hockey after a 5-2 loss to #19 Massachusetts in the A-10 Semifinals on Friday afternoon. The Owls scored first and had chances in the second half, but could not quite close the gap against the Minutewomen, who advance to the championship game against #16 Richmond.

Temple finishes at 12-9 overall while UMass improves to 13-8. Sophomore standout and A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Amber Youtz scored her 22nd goal of the year in the contest, finishing the season with 54 total points.

The Owls came out strong early and scored less than five minutes in. Katie Briglia took a shot on a penalty corner off assists from Nicole Kroener and Mandi Shearer, putting the ball cleanly in the back of the back right cage for her seventh goal of the season.

It would be the only goal of the first half for Temple, despite four corner opportunities to the Minutewomens' three. UMass picked up the pace on the offensive end, finishing the half with three goals on 11 shots.

In the 16th minute, Renee Suter received a pass across the cage from Alyssa Ineson for the Minutewomen's first goal. The second goal for UMass was on a direct penalty corner in the 21st minute, scored by Thando Zono.

The Owls had a chance to clear the ball right before the play that resulted in the third goal for UMass, but the Minutewomen got possession back and made it count. Kim Young one-timed a shot on a pass from Zono, getting it past diving Temple goalkeeper Lizzy Millen.

Looking as strong early on in the second half as they did in the first, Temple earned a penalty corner six minutes in and Youtz was able to deflect the ball into the cage off a shot by Shearer.

Just a couple minutes later it looked as though the Owls had tied the game at 3-3, but the officials ruled the ball bounced off Kroener's foot before crossing the line.

After the disallowed goal, the Minutewomen scored quickly to widen the margin to two. An initial shot was saved by Millen, but it bounced off her and onto the stick of Nicole Cordero, who tipped it into the cage for a 4-2 UMass lead in the 49th minute.

The Owls kept the pressure on and had some solid opportunities, but could not narrow the gap. Hannah Whitman had two shots stopped by UMass in the 62nd minute, and Temple earned back-to-back corners in the 66th minute. The Owls had three shots on the second corner but came up empty.

It was the Minutewomen who got the game's final goal on a penalty corner with two and a half minutes remaining for the final tally of 5-2.