Oct. 31, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Needing a victory to keep its Atlantic 10 postseason hopes alive, the Saint Joseph's women's soccer team dominated the opening half against Temple Saturday evening at Finnesey Field. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they failed to find the back of the net, while the Owls tallied the game's lone goal in the second stanza to earn the win and end Saint Joseph's season in heart-breaking style.

In the first half, Saint Joseph's contained Temple for the most part, holding the Owls without a shot, while taking eight attempts at the TU goal. Temple's goalkeeper Gillian Kacsuta mad three of her game-high five saves to keep the game scoreless.

The Owls would end the scoreless drought early in the second half, capitalizing on a possession deep in the Hawks' zone. Off a corner kick, Temple's shot attempt was blocked, but Tiia Kuokka gathered the loose ball and lifted a shot to the upper right corner, past Saint Joseph's freshman goalkeeper Christine Neal, to give the Owls the lead at 56:40.

Saint Joseph's pressed the ball into the Owls end for a majority of the final 10 minutes, but the Hawks failed to create a true scoring opportunity. Junior Lauren Sawyer had the last SJU scoring attempt in the 87th minute, but Kacsuta was there to make the save.

The Hawks continued to put pressure on Temple, but the Owls cleared the ball in the final moments to hold on for the win.

For the game, Saint Joseph's out shot Temple 11-4, with each team earning four corner kicks.

Individually, Sawyer led the Hawks with three shots, while senior Taylor Carr and sophomore Jen Pfeiffer and Sandra Mackey each collected two shots apiece.

Carr and fellow seniors Danielle Debernardo, Sarah O'Malley and Lauren Sutcliffe were honored for their dedication to the SJU program with a pregame ceremony.

Saint Joseph's caps its season with a 7-9-3 overall record and a 4-6-1 mark in the Atlantic 10.