Field hockey vs. Temple, St. Joe's

By Kevin Prendergast
Collegian Staff
October 18, 2006

On Friday, the field hockey team (5-11, 1-3) experienced a tough 1-0 loss to the Temple Owls (12-4, 3-1).

Freshman Kara Harpel brings the ball up against Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. -Sara Allen

In their first Atlantic 10 Conference match at home on the new and improved Hank DeVincent Field, the Explorers went head-to-head with one of the top teams in the conference. Scored at the 11-minute mark, the goal by Temple’s Alli Lokey, a junior midfielder, proved to be the difference in the match.

The Explorer offense never really got it going during this tough match, with the team only putting up a total of two shots. In the end, the Explorers hung in there against a formidable opponent in Temple.

But this tough loss would not remain in the minds of the team for long. They would quickly look to rebound on Sunday against St. Joe’s (9-6, 3-1), undefeated in conference play—until they played the Explorers.

Sunday’s match against the Hawks proved to be a much better performance for the team. In the 25th minute of the match, La Salle freshman Kelly Dougherty scored the match’s only goal. For the rest of the match, the Explorers successfully controlled the tempo and played well with the lead.

With time running out, St. Joe’s was awarded a crucial penalty shot. However, La Salle junior goalkeeper Ellen Axelsen would not allow the lead to slip away, stopping the shot off the stick of the Hawks’ freshman midfielder, Anne Schreuders.

After the stop, the remaining 14 seconds would tick away quickly, giving the Explorers their first Atlantic 10 conference victory of the season. Their victory could not have come against a better opponent, either, knocking the St. Joe’s Hawks out of first place in the A-10.

With their first conference win under their belts, the Explorers look to continue their winning ways. This weekend’s matches come against two teams who haven’t been nearly as successful thus far as Temple and St. Joe’s.

However, the Explorers do not intend to take these opponents lightly. On Friday afternoon, they have a match at Hank DeVincent Field against Rhode Island (6-6, 2-2), where they look to get their second straight win. Then, on Sunday afternoon, they go up against UMass (4-12, 1-3) here at home. Look for the Explorers to have a very successful weekend of important conference matches.

prendergastk1@lasalle.edu