The American University lacrosse team (1-3) fell 13-9 to Temple (5-0) on Saturday in a competitive home matchup filled with momentum swings, physical defense and quite a few eight-meter opportunities on both ends.
Temple struck first just two minutes into the opening quarter after an early Eagles turnover, but the Eagles answered quickly. Strong defensive pressure and back-to-back saves from American’s sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Hill steadied the pace and gave the offense time to reset.
Crisp ball movement around the perimeter set up sophomore midfielder Anastasia Byrnes for American’s first goal of the afternoon, forcing a Temple timeout and electrifying the Eagle sideline.
Later in the first quarter, a yellow card put American a player down, and Temple capitalized on an eight-meter opportunity. The Eagles responded with an eight-meter goal of their own from senior attacker Kellie Linehan to keep the score close heading into the second quarter.
The Eagles found a rhythm offensively in the second quarter. Senior midfielder Reagan Murdoch scored through traffic and freshman midfielder Shannon Silvius added another goal after some sharp ball movement.
American continued to attack aggressively and earned multiple eight-meter chances. Murdoch converted one and senior attacker Annabelle Jackson scored on another during a man-up opportunity after a Temple green card.
Temple answered with quick goals of its own, but the Eagles’ goalkeeper continued to make important saves to keep the Eagles close going into halftime.
The third quarter became a turning point. Although American opened the half with solid defensive stops, offensive possessions started to stall due to turnovers and shot clock violations. Temple took advantage of many eight-meter opportunities and extended its lead during the middle of the quarter.
Murdoch scored again late in the third to slow down Temple’s run, but the Owls maintained control heading into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, both teams battled for possession. A brief delay led to a yellow card against Temple after some heated discussion between the coaches and the officials. American had strong defensive pressure and forced turnovers, but struggled to finish on the offensive end.
Late goals from junior attacker Adria Kotzian and Linehan kept the Eagles fighting, but Temple’s efficiency in front of the net and second-chance opportunities helped secure them the 13-9 win.
Despite the loss, American showed a promising performance with strong defensive efforts, quick ball movement and consistent energy throughout the game. The Eagles will hopefully look to clean up turnovers and maintain offensive momentum as they prepare to face George Mason University on Feb. 27.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Jack Stashower and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron and Nicole Kariuki.
