With first place in the Atlantic-10 Conference on the line, the Temple Owls (8-4,3-0 A-10) will travel to Amherst, MA to face the #13/10 University of Massachusetts Minutewomen (11-2,3-0 A-10) on Friday at 4pm.

Since ending their non-conference schedule with a string of lopsided losses, the Owls have started their A-10 schedule with three consecutive victories against St.Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, and Duquesne. Temple has outscored its first three A-10 opponents 41-18.

In the three game span, the hot Owls offense have been led by senior midfielder Charlotte Swavola, who has scored 12 goals and three assists. Swavola’s 15 total points leads the conference.

Fellow senior midfielder Stephany Parcell has also found herself amongst the top conference scorers, scoring an average of four points per A-10 game.

After being awarded her first career A-10 Defender of the Week award, Meghan Clothier comes into Friday’s matchup average six saves and allowing 6.80 goals versus A-10 opponents.

Massachusetts has continued its dominance over conference opponents, recently defeating Richmond in overtime for the Minutewomen’s 22nd consecutive victory against the A-10. Nationally, the Minutewomen rank in the top ten of several statistical categories such as scoring offense, draw controls, scoring margin, and caused turnovers.

A-10 Player of the Week, junior midfielder Katie Ferris, will attempt to make Massachusetts history against Temple by adding to her 226 career goals and gaining sole ownership of the record for most goals scored in program history. In 12 games this season, Ferris has averaged 4.67 points per game, which leads the A-10.

Taking advantage of fouls and yellow cards will be key for the Owls in Friday’s matchup. Scoring goals during man up situations has been one of the major differences in the Owls’ recent streak.

In eight non-conference games, the Owls scored three man-up goals. In three A-10 matchups, Temple has a total of seven goals in such situations. In conference play, Massachusetts has averaged 27.67 fouls per game, which is tied for first place. The Minutewomen also rank amongst the top teams in the nation in yellow cards.

In the last game of the 2012 regular season, Massachusetts eliminated Temple’s chances at an A-10 tournament berth, defeating the Owls 13-7.

The last time Temple defeated Massachusetts in the regular season or postseason was in 2008. The Owls defeated the Minutewomen during the 2008 regular season and defeated Massachusetts in the A-10 tournament final, claiming the A-10 crown in Amherst. This season, the A-10 championship will take place in Amherst for the first time since 2008.

-Brien Edwards

The Temple Owls (5-4) will begin their last Atlantic 10 Conference run when they travel to face the St. Joseph’s Hawks (6-3), Friday at 3 p.m.

Temple will be forced to regroup quickly, following a 15-11 loss to Delaware on Wednesday. Road games have not been favorable for the Owls, dropping four of the last five road contests, including three consecutive defeats. Friday’s game will be the Owls’ last game of a six-game stretch away from home.

Senior captain Stephany Parcell played her best statistical game of the season against Delaware, recording seven total points on four goals and three assists.

Despite Parcell’s performance, a tied season-low 12 ground balls played a part in a season-low three caused turnovers for the Owls’ defense, allowing the Blue Hens offense to prosper.

Offensive production from freshmen midfielders Nicole Tiernan, Megan Tiernan, and attacker Megan Pinkerton (four total goals) was beneficial, against the Hawks, Temple will need production from top scorers who have recently gone cold.

Against Delaware, leading freshman scorer Rachel Schwaab was held to zero goals and assists for the first time this season, while senior midfielder Kellee Pace continues her cold streak with zero points in the last three games.

In between the bars, senior Meghan Clothier and redshirt freshman Jaqi Kakalecik both played significant minutes against Delaware, totaling six saves. Clothier will likely receive the start against St. Joe’s, but coach Bonnie Rosen has shown throughout the season that she will shake up the goalkeeping duties, if needed.

For the Hawks, they rebounded, from consecutive one point losses to Old Dominion and Monmouth, with a 16-13 victory against St. Mary’s. In the victory against St. Mary’s, freshman attacker Bonnie McShane scored a total of five points, on two goals and three assists, and received A-10 Rookie of the Week honors.

Fifth year senior Meghan McDevitt leads St. Joe’s in goals and assists, with 20 goals and 14 assists.

This season, freshman goalie Genevieve Giblin has allowed an average of 6.71 goals per game and recorded 33 total saves.

In its second to last game of the 2012 season, Temple won in a convincing 19-11 game against St. Joe’s. Despite having more turnovers than the Hawks, the Owls’ plus-8 advantage in draw controls and perfect percentage on free position shots proved to make the difference.

The Temple Owls (5-3) will travel to Delaware to face the Delaware Blue Hens (5-3) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for its fifth-straight road game.

After starting the season with four-straight home victories, the road has been more of a challenge as the Owls have dropped three of their last four games on the road.

In their last game against Hofstra, Temple managed to hold the Pride under double digits on the scoreboard, but suffered their worst offensive performance of the season. Previous to last week, the Owls averaged over 12 goals per game, but against Hofstra, they scored five goals in a loss.

Temple will look to improve on offense, against Delaware, by reviving the offensive production of its top scoring veterans senior midfielders Charlotte Swavola, Stephany Parcell, Kellee Pace, and junior attacker Jaymie Tabor. Against Hofstra, the group of upperclassmen were held to a season-low of two total goals.

Delaware is currently on a two game winning streak, including a 10-9  home win against previously #11 ranked Loyola. The Blue Hens have played in close games against ranked opponents this season, including a 16-12 loss to Georgetown, which is now ranked among the top ten in both the IWCLA Coaches and deBeer Women’s Media Poll.

Sophomore midfielder Caitlin McCartney and junior attacker Chelsea Fay lead the Blue Hen offense with 19 goals each. McCartney and Fay combined for six goals in last year’s matchup that ended in a 11-9 Owls victory.

The Owls held a couple of key advantages in last year’s victory against Delaware. In the 2012 matchup, Temple ended the game with a 25-18 advantage in shots and a 15-9 advantage in draw controls. In 2013, the Owls are averaging 28 shots and more than 12 draw controls per game, while the Blue Hens average 26.5 shots and just under 12 draw controls per game.

For the Temple Owls, a week long road trip in California provided more than a break from the student-athlete grind, but also relieved players from the wintry conditions of Philadelphia.

“We always joke about the fact that we’re not really a spring sport,” coach Bonnie Rosen said.

With the lacrosse season beginning in February, inclement weather is expected in Philadelphia.

“It’s not necessarily a wildcard,” senior midfielder Charlotte Swavola said. “It’s something we get used to and have to mentally prepare for”.

The stretch of four straight games on Geasey Field provided nothing but freezing temperatures. For each game of the homestand, the temperature ranged between high 20’s to high 30’s.

“It’s a challenge from a team standpoint, staying warm enough to play well,” Rosen said.

For senior goalie Meghan Clothier, overcoming the string of cold weather games was an even more daunting task, due to the stretches of the games where the goalie did not see shot attempts.

“I try to stay focused, stay in the moment and try not to think about it, but it’s definitely a challenge,” Clothier said. “Especially during those stretches when the ball is on the opposite end of the field and I don’t know when it’s coming back”.

Although the team has become accustom to the cold weather that comes with the beginning of lacrosse in Philadelphia, it couldn’t help but look forward to what promised to be better conditions.

“The warm weather feels great. The sun feels great. So, that helps the team,” Rosen said. “The combination of the weather, seeing new places across the country, spending time with each other without the pressures of school certainly allow us to focus and play great lacrosse”.

The Owls finished their California road trip with a record of 1-2 with their lone win being a 12-7 victory against the USC Trojans. The other two games ended in a four point loss to #16 Stanford and a blowout loss to San Diego State.

Brien Edwards can be reached at brien.edwards@temple.edu or on twitter @BErick1123.

Temple (5-1) will close out its three game California road trip against San Diego State (4-2,1-0 MPSF), on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. ET.

In the first meeting in their schools’ history, the Owls and Aztecs will both look to continue their winning ways. Temple will attempt to start a new winning streak, following a win against the University of Southern California, while San Diego St. will try to surpass its longest streak of the season with a third straight victory.

The young Owls squad responded to their first defeat of the season with a comfortable 12-7 win against USC. Freshman attacker Rachel Schwaab had her best statistical performance of her career, against the Trojans, netting a hat trick and adding three assists.

Consistently strong play from the senior trio of midfielders Kellee Pace, Charlotte Swavola, and Stephany Parcell has anchored the Temple offense, during this road trip. In the two games against Stanford and USC, the three seniors have accounted for 12 of the team’s 22 total goals.

Tied at seven points each, the leaders in total points during the two game span has been Schwaab (3 goals, 4 assists) and Parcell (4 goals, 3 assists).

Senior goalkeeper Meghan Clothier followed her career-high 10 save game against Stanford with three saves against USC, but allowed seven Trojan goals compared to 14 allowed against the Cardinal.

For the Aztecs, the season has started with balance, ranking in the top ten of Division I scoring offense and scoring defense. The San Diego St. offense is tied for 8th in goals per game with 15.20, and it’s defense ranks 9th in goals allowed with 7.40 per game.

Sophomore attackers Michaela Jarvis and Bailey Ewing lead the Aztecs with a combined 49 total points, which accounts for just over 43% of the entire team’s output. Jarvis leads the team in assists with 14, and Ewing is the goal leader with 19.

Senior goalie Sammy Slattery has started every game for the Aztecs and ranks among the top goalie in goals allowed per game.

-Brien Edwards

Following its first loss of the season at the hands of #18 Stanford, Temple (4-1) will face the University of Southern California Trojans (4-4, 2-1 MPSF), in their second straight road game, Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET.

With both of their previous games ending in losses to Stanford, the Owls and Trojans will meet for the first time in their program’s histories.

In a season where freshman have scored early and often, against Stanford, five different Owls scored goals, with freshman midfielder Avery Longstaff being the lone rookie goal scorer. In the 14-10 loss, junior attacker Jaymie Tabor led the Owls with a hat trick, while senior midfielders Kellee Pace, Stephany Parcell and Charlotte Swavola scored two goals each.

The three senior midfielders are also the Owls’ season leaders in total points.

In goal, senior goalie Meghan Clothier had a career day against Stanford. She recorded ten saves, which nearly doubled her season total before Sunday’s game.

In its last game, USC also traveled to Stanford, for a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matchup, and left with a 17-12 defeat.

In Division I, USC is ranked 3rd in total points and 15th in scoring offense. The Trojans offense is led by freshman attacker Caroline de Lyra, who leads USC with 49 total points, recording 28 goals and 21 assists.

De Lyra’s point and scoring totals are also ranked second.

Freshman goalie Liz Schaeffer leads all goalies in saves, recording 72, and is tied for 10th in saves per game.

For the Owls, this will be the second game of their three game California road trip and the second game played in a three day span.

Temple will end a four game home stand against Lafayette

The Temple Owls (3-0) will host the Lafayette Leopards (4-0), in their last game of a four game home stretch, at 1p.m Saturday, on Geasey Field.

In their last game, the Owls defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 14-7. Senior midfielder Charlotte Swavola led Temple with four goals, in a game which saw eight different players add to Temple’s point total.

Swavola was recently named Atlantic 10 co-offensive player of the week and freshman attacker Rachel Schwaab earned A-10 rookie of the week honors. Swavola and Schwaab are the top two scorers for the Owls, this season.

Against Lehigh, Senior goalie Meghan Clothier played the first period and recorded five saves, bringing her season total to eleven. Clothier has allowed eleven goals in 90 minutes played, this season.

Lafayette will also come into Saturday’s game with a perfect record, following a 16-9 home victory against Columbia. This season, Senior attacker Addie Godfrey leads the Leopards with 26 total points, netting 21 goals and adding five assists.

At goalie, Lafayette junior Meghan Curtin and sophomore Mimi Connell have recorded 24 total saves and two wins each.

In last year’s matchup, played in Easton, PA, Temple defeated Lehigh 21-10.

Temple will attempt to continue their winning streak and start the season with four straight wins, for the second consecutive season.

The Temple Owls (2-0) will host their third straight home game when they play Lehigh (1-0), at 1 p.m Saturday, on Geasey Field.

Temple will be playing its third game in eight days, following consecutive wins against Niagara and Rutgers.

Although the Owls’ offense was not as efficient as their season opening blowout, Wednesday against Rutgers, two late goals by senior captain Stephany Parcell and junior attacker Jaymie Tabor capped off the comeback in a tight 8-7 win.

Lehigh also comes into Saturday’s matchup following a tightly contested game. Led by sophomore attacker Carli Sukonik’s five goals, the Mountain Eagles started their season with a 10-9 home victory against Villanova.

Temple’s senior goalie Meghan Clothier and Lehigh’s junior goalie Alexandra Fitzpatrick both came up with late saves, which helped their teams in each one point victory. In 90 minutes of play, Clothier has recorded six total saves, while Fitzpatrick recorded seven saves, in her lone start.

Last year’s game, played in Bethlehem, PA, ended with a 14-5 win, in favor of the Owls.

The Owls will attempt to continue their streak with their second consecutive 3-0 start. With a win, the Mountain Hawks could go 2-0 for the first time since 2010.

On Wednesday, February 20th, the Temple Owls (1-0) will host their second game of the season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0), at 3 p.m. on Geasey Field.

The Owls and Scarlet Knights both look to continue their momentum, following big wins in their season openers.

Temple is coming off a short week, defeating Niagara last Saturday in an 18-5 rout. Eleven players scored goals against Niagara, including seniors Charlotte Swavola and Kellee Pace, who led the Owls with three goals each.

Rutgers is going into Wednesday’s game following a Feb. 10 victory against Manhattan, which ended 15-5. The Scarlet Knights are led by junior Katrina Martinelli, who recorded five goals and three assist, against Manhattan, and was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.

The Owls and Scarlet Knights played with two goalkeepers in their first games of the season. Temple divided their goalkeeping between senior Meghan Clothier and redshirt freshman Jaqi Kakalecik. Rutgers’ senior goalies Lily Kalata and Aimee Chotikul both saw the field, against Manhattan.

Both Clothier and Kalata recorded three saves and the win, in their season opening starts.

In last year’s matchup, played in New Brunswick, N.J, the Owls edged the Scarlet Knights in a 12-11 comeback win.

This Saturday, at 1 p.m., the Temple Owls will host the Niagara Purple Eagles, on Geasey Field.

Last season, the Owls finished with a record of (9-8, 3-4 Atlantic 10 Conference), recently picked to finished fourth in the A-10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The Purple Eagles finished 2012 with a record of (3-11, 0-6 ) and picked to finish seventh in the 2013 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Although the Owls have lost four of the last six season openers, coached by seventh year coach Bonnie Rosen, the team looks to start strong, this year.

The 2012 season opened with a home win against Oregon, which led to a 5-0 non-conference start. The Owls look to repeat those results, in 2013, with Saturday’s home opener being the first of a four home game stretch.

After the loss of multiple starters to graduation and addition of thirteen freshmen, the Owls’ game against Niagara will likely mark the first career start for several players and the first real game action, for freshmen in the rotation.

This game will be the first ever matchup of the Temple and Niagara lacrosse teams.