Women's Soccer Falls To City-Rival Penn, 2-0

Sunday, September 2

Philadelphia, PA

8:00 p.m.

Temple University

1-3-1

Pennsylvania

2-0-0

Temple

Penn

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Women's Soccer Falls To City-Rival Penn, 2-0

9.2.12 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

| BoxScore (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Looking to even its win-loss record in the young season, Temple Women's Soccer fell, 2-0, to the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday evening at Rhodes Field. In the city-rival match, the Quakers tallied in the 54th and 77th minute on goals by Brianna Rano and Claire Walker to complete a sweep in their season-opening weekend.

Limiting the Owls to just three shots in the match, the Quakers proved to be controlling with an impermeable defense, as they pelted 18 of their own.

Redshirt senior Tara Murphy was tested all night long by her opposition. Before being beat on Rano's goal, which came on a long free kick from the right side, the Owls' starting netminder had six saves—five of which came in the first 45 minutes of play. Murphy left the game, having eight on the evening.

Following the opening kick, the Owls got in position quickly and tried to set the tempo early.

Senior Brittany Wollner provided the first chance for the Owls when she blasted a shot, but it was blocked by the Penn defense in the 6th minute.

From there, the Quakers played stingy, as they wouldn't allow Temple a single scoring chance for the rest of the opening half.

The Owls came out of their second half huddle with energy. Controlling the opening kick, senior Kate Yurkovic fed a corner to freshman Kaylee Harner for a chance to give the Owls the lead, but her shot was nailed right at Penn 'keeper Sarah Banks, who needed just one save all night to record the shutout.

Later in the half Temple tried to respond to Penn's first goal, as Harner set up freshman Paige Rachel with a chance, but her shot went wide of the netting,

Penn contained the ball for a majority of time late in the second half, leading to its insurance goal in the 77th minute, ending the night for Murphy and giving freshman Shauni Kerkhoff her first taste at the collegiate level.

Minutes into her debut, she was greeted with a hard shot that sailed over her and rammed the cross bar. Ciara Midgley looked to give Penn a 3-0 lead, but Kerkhoff made her first career save in the 85th minute to limit the damage for the Owls.

Temple, now 1-3-1 on the year, will return home to the Ambler Sports Complex on Friday afternoon for a 4:00 p.m. match with the Iona Gaels, who the Owls defeated in their 2011 season-opener.