Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Ken Light
Looking Back on the 2015 Temple Field Hockey Season
1.13.16 | Field Hockey
Temple field hockey's first season under head coach Marybeth Freeman had its share of ups and downs, but the Owls ultimately proved their determination and talent with a second-straight appearance in the BIG EAST Championship final.
The end of the season saw a five-game win streak for Temple until the Owls came up against #2 UConn in the conference tournament. The run showed what the Owls were capable of, starting with a 1-0 upset of #12 Old Dominion on Oct. 20. Needing a win in their final regular season game at Villanova to earn a conference tournament berth, Temple tied the contest late in regulation to force overtime and won 2-1.
Senior Alyssa Delp had an outstanding final season for the Cherry and White, capping her career by being named to the Longstreth/NFHCA All-America Third Team. Delp finished her career with 33 goals to rank in a tie for 10th all-time in program history, scoring 16 of those goals to lead Temple and rank third in the BIG EAST in 2015.
Delp was also named to the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region First Team, while fellow seniors Sarah Deck and Tricia Light earned all-region second team honors. The trio were joined by senior Haley Mitchell in being named all-conference, with Deck and Delp earning BIG EAST First Team honors while Light and Mitchell earned BIG EAST Second Team honors.
Temple played an extremely challenging schedule in Freeman's first season at the helm, taking on a total of nine ranked opponents in 21 games. Many of those games came early on, with the Owls playing seven ranked teams in their first 12 contests. The schedule played a large part in a mid-season slump for Temple, as the team suffered an eight-game losing streak and found itself with a record of 3-12 heading into the final four regular-season games.
Some of the three early wins were certainly memorable ones, including a 9-0 win against Towson on Aug. 30. That win was the most lopsided one for the Owls in 25 years, and saw eight different players scoring for Temple. One week later, a late goal from junior Paige Gross lifted the Owls to a 3-2 win against city rival Saint Joseph's.
After the mid-season struggles, which included three overtime losses and three others that also came by a single goal, the Old Dominion upset would prove to be the catalyst for a turnaround. Deck scored the Owls' goal in the Oct. 20 road win, and they went on two win two more games in the next five days against Georgetown and Lafayette.
Temple honored its 10-member senior class prior to the Georgetown game, and the Owls sent them off in style with a 3-1 victory. On Halloween, the scenarios came down to Temple needing a road win at Villanova in order to earn a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Temple fell behind 2-1. Sophomore Hattie Kuhns scored the tying goal with just over five minutes left, forcing overtime where sophomore Maiyah Brown notched the game-winning goal on an assist from Delp.
The dramatic finish against Villanova proved to be just the first of two, as the Owls found themselves facing the Wildcats less than a week later in the BIG EAST Semifinals. Villanova's goal in the 18th minute was the lone goal for nearly the entire contest, and as the minutes ticked down in regulation, Temple fought back once again.
With just a minute and a half remaining, Delp found the back of the cage with an assist from Brown, and overtime number two against Villanova commenced. The teams were scoreless for over 13 minutes of the 15-minute extra period, until Light sent in a rebounded shot to win the game and give the Owls a crack at winning the tournament.
Delp scored twice on penalty strokes against two-time defending NCAA champion UConn in the title game, with Deck adding a third goal, but ultimately the Owls came up short in a 7-3 loss.
The Owls showed depth throughout the season with 12 players scoring goals, including 10 with two or more goals. Deck put eight goals in the cage to rank second on the team, while Light finished with six. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Keer and sophomore Rachael Mueller contributed four goals apiece, and Light led the team with eight assists.Â
Mitchell, who was twice named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, started every game in goal in her senior season and was part of a veteran backfield along with seniors Taylor Shronk and Rachel Steinman. Shronk recorded a pair of defensive saves over the course of the season, while Steinman tallied four assists for the Owls.Â
2015 Temple Field Hockey Season Highlights
• Senior Alyssa Delp Named Third Team All-American by Longstreth/NFHCA
• Three players earn Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region honors with Alyssa Delp being named to the first team while Sarah Deck and Tricia Light were named to the second team.
• Delp and Deck earned BIG EAST First Team honors, while Light and Haley Mitchell were named to the BIG EAST Second Team.
• Delp, Deck and Light were all named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
• Temple made a second straight appearance in the BIG EAST Championship game, falling to two-time national champ UConn.
• The Owls ended the regular season with an overtime win at Villanova, and repeated the feat a week later in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.
• On Oct. 20, Sarah Deck's goal lifted Temple to a 1-0 upset at #12 Old Dominion, the first in what would become a five-game win streak for the Owls.
• Delp finished her career with 33 goals to tie for 10th all-time in program history.
• For a ninth straight year, Temple was represented at the NFHCA Senior Game, with Delp being selected as one of 38 senior participants across the country.
• Delp and Deck were both named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team.
• The team was recognized by the BIG EAST as having the highest GPA among the conference's field hockey teams.
• Mitchell was twice named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
• The Owls finished at 8-13 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play. Eight of their losses were to teams ranked in the NFHCA Top 20 Poll, and seven losses were by just a single goal.
The end of the season saw a five-game win streak for Temple until the Owls came up against #2 UConn in the conference tournament. The run showed what the Owls were capable of, starting with a 1-0 upset of #12 Old Dominion on Oct. 20. Needing a win in their final regular season game at Villanova to earn a conference tournament berth, Temple tied the contest late in regulation to force overtime and won 2-1.
Senior Alyssa Delp had an outstanding final season for the Cherry and White, capping her career by being named to the Longstreth/NFHCA All-America Third Team. Delp finished her career with 33 goals to rank in a tie for 10th all-time in program history, scoring 16 of those goals to lead Temple and rank third in the BIG EAST in 2015.
Delp was also named to the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region First Team, while fellow seniors Sarah Deck and Tricia Light earned all-region second team honors. The trio were joined by senior Haley Mitchell in being named all-conference, with Deck and Delp earning BIG EAST First Team honors while Light and Mitchell earned BIG EAST Second Team honors.
Temple played an extremely challenging schedule in Freeman's first season at the helm, taking on a total of nine ranked opponents in 21 games. Many of those games came early on, with the Owls playing seven ranked teams in their first 12 contests. The schedule played a large part in a mid-season slump for Temple, as the team suffered an eight-game losing streak and found itself with a record of 3-12 heading into the final four regular-season games.
Some of the three early wins were certainly memorable ones, including a 9-0 win against Towson on Aug. 30. That win was the most lopsided one for the Owls in 25 years, and saw eight different players scoring for Temple. One week later, a late goal from junior Paige Gross lifted the Owls to a 3-2 win against city rival Saint Joseph's.
After the mid-season struggles, which included three overtime losses and three others that also came by a single goal, the Old Dominion upset would prove to be the catalyst for a turnaround. Deck scored the Owls' goal in the Oct. 20 road win, and they went on two win two more games in the next five days against Georgetown and Lafayette.
Temple honored its 10-member senior class prior to the Georgetown game, and the Owls sent them off in style with a 3-1 victory. On Halloween, the scenarios came down to Temple needing a road win at Villanova in order to earn a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Temple fell behind 2-1. Sophomore Hattie Kuhns scored the tying goal with just over five minutes left, forcing overtime where sophomore Maiyah Brown notched the game-winning goal on an assist from Delp.
The dramatic finish against Villanova proved to be just the first of two, as the Owls found themselves facing the Wildcats less than a week later in the BIG EAST Semifinals. Villanova's goal in the 18th minute was the lone goal for nearly the entire contest, and as the minutes ticked down in regulation, Temple fought back once again.
With just a minute and a half remaining, Delp found the back of the cage with an assist from Brown, and overtime number two against Villanova commenced. The teams were scoreless for over 13 minutes of the 15-minute extra period, until Light sent in a rebounded shot to win the game and give the Owls a crack at winning the tournament.
Delp scored twice on penalty strokes against two-time defending NCAA champion UConn in the title game, with Deck adding a third goal, but ultimately the Owls came up short in a 7-3 loss.
The Owls showed depth throughout the season with 12 players scoring goals, including 10 with two or more goals. Deck put eight goals in the cage to rank second on the team, while Light finished with six. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Keer and sophomore Rachael Mueller contributed four goals apiece, and Light led the team with eight assists.Â
Mitchell, who was twice named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, started every game in goal in her senior season and was part of a veteran backfield along with seniors Taylor Shronk and Rachel Steinman. Shronk recorded a pair of defensive saves over the course of the season, while Steinman tallied four assists for the Owls.Â
2015 Temple Field Hockey Season Highlights
• Senior Alyssa Delp Named Third Team All-American by Longstreth/NFHCA
• Three players earn Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region honors with Alyssa Delp being named to the first team while Sarah Deck and Tricia Light were named to the second team.
• Delp and Deck earned BIG EAST First Team honors, while Light and Haley Mitchell were named to the BIG EAST Second Team.
• Delp, Deck and Light were all named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
• Temple made a second straight appearance in the BIG EAST Championship game, falling to two-time national champ UConn.
• The Owls ended the regular season with an overtime win at Villanova, and repeated the feat a week later in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.
• On Oct. 20, Sarah Deck's goal lifted Temple to a 1-0 upset at #12 Old Dominion, the first in what would become a five-game win streak for the Owls.
• Delp finished her career with 33 goals to tie for 10th all-time in program history.
• For a ninth straight year, Temple was represented at the NFHCA Senior Game, with Delp being selected as one of 38 senior participants across the country.
• Delp and Deck were both named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team.
• The team was recognized by the BIG EAST as having the highest GPA among the conference's field hockey teams.
• Mitchell was twice named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
• The Owls finished at 8-13 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play. Eight of their losses were to teams ranked in the NFHCA Top 20 Poll, and seven losses were by just a single goal.
Players Mentioned
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