Owls top Lafayette in bounce-back victory

Temple didn’t need its usual late-game heroics to beat Lafayette College on Saturday. The Owls won, 17-7, thanks in large part to a 10-0 goal run that extended from the first to the second half.

Junior midfielder Nicole Tiernan, who notched her second consecutive hat trick against the Leopards, opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game. Lafayette responded with a 4-1 run that put it up by two goals with just under 11 minutes left in the half.

It was all Owls from there on out. Junior midfielder Megan Tiernan’s first goal of the game at 10:40 started a streak of 10 goals that blew the game open. Within that stretch, eight different players scored, including two from junior Megan Tiernan, two from junior attacker Avery Longstaff and one from freshman attacker Nicole Barretta.

The streak ended when Lafayette sophomore attacker Ashley Tedesco scored with 18:52 left in regulation. After surrendering its first goal in almost 22 minutes, Temple ended the game on a 5-2 run, clinching the 17-7 win and its fourth win on the season.

The Owls’ dominance of possession marked a critical factor in the game, as they secured 19 draw controls after struggling in that department in its blowout loss to Cornell last weekend.

Temple (4-1) will travel to New York next week to play Wagner College in Staten Island on Wednesday and Iona College in New Rochelle on Friday.

-Matt Cockayne

Midfielder Tiernan invited to US National Team Tryout

After a strong sophomore season, Nicole Tiernan has a shot at making the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Tiernan received an invitation, along with 83 other players, to a three-day tryout at Georgetown University from June 13 to 15. Roughly 36 to 40 players will be selected to the squad from there.

The speedy midfielder ranked second on the Owls in scoring, recording 29 goals and four assists in 2014, along with 13 caused turnovers. She was also named to the All-Big East Second Team at the end of the season.

After selections are made, the team will train in preparation for the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women’s World Cup in Surrey, England, where a roster of 18 players will represent the U.S.

“I am so excited for Nicole to have this opportunity,” coach Bonnie Rosen said in a press release. “She is just beginning to realize how great of a lacrosse player she can be and I am thrilled that she will get the chance this weekend to compete against, play with, and learn from the best players in the country.

“I am so proud of Nicole for being willing to go after this dream and I, along with all of her coaches and teammates, wish her the best of luck this weekend,” Rosen added.

The National Team is led by Georgetown head coach Georgetown Ricky Fried, as it looks to go for a third consecutive World Cup title.

This is the first time the team has held tryouts via invite-only.

-Nick Tricome