Temple Women’s Soccer approached its cross-city match against Villanova with optimism. The Owls showed promise in their first game under head coach Chris Shaw, holding Coastal Athletic Association favorite Monmouth at bay until the final minutes of Thursday night’s game.
It didn’t take long for the confidence to be dashed on Sunday afternoon after Wildcats forward Madison Shumate found the back of the net just 12 minutes into the game. The goal sparked the start of the Wildcats’ attack on Temple goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe.
The early onslaught continued two minutes later when Shumate broke in on the right flank and fired a curved ball into the top right corner for her second goal. Just 14 minutes into the game, Villanova had the upper hand and never looked back.
Temple (0-2, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) lost 4-0 to Villanova (1-1, 0-0 Big East Conference) on Sunday afternoon at Higgins Soccer Complex. That now makes 10 straight games in which the Owls have failed to score, the last time coming in a 2-1 win over Penn on Sept. 17, 2023.
“It’s a commitment to get a lot of players forward,” Shaw said. “With the system we play and a lot of players behind the ball, when we win the ball we have to play faster forward and then get a lot of players into attack.”
After Villanova’s second goal, Temple regained momentum with creative passing. The offensive style allowed striker Sumaya Togba to get the first shot on goal in the 26th minute.
Bynoe also shook off her slow start, making four of her five saves in the first half to give Temple some momentum. However, it didn’t yield any points and the Owls grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of offensive production.
Just 10 minutes later, Temple began to fall apart. Schumate found forward Morgan Kotch, who promptly slotted a ball into the bottom left corner of the net, extending the Wildcats’ lead before halftime.
“We were pretty well organized, but our problem right now is our ability to defend in one-on-one situations,” Shaw said. “Our full-backs are a bit isolated and we need to be better in one-on-one situations all over the field, offensively and defensively.”
Temple’s luck didn’t change in the second half. They attempted just two shots on goal and were completely outgunned at both ends of the court. The Owls had just five shots on goal in the entire game, compared to eleven for the Wildcats.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ attack continued to show no signs of slowing down, and Kotch headed a ball into the goal 20 minutes into the second half to cap off this clear victory.
Temple has lost its last two meetings with Villanova. The Owls last won against the Wildcats on February 17, 2021.
Temple had seven fouls in the game and the body language became increasingly annoyed and irritable as the afternoon wore on. The result led to Shaw calling all the senior students together for a postgame meeting.
“Whatever they do, we do,” Shaw said. “If they want to finish on a high note and leave a positive legacy for the next class, then it’s up to them to really put in the work. If I can’t get them to buy into what we’re trying to do, then it’s going to be a long season. But I will say they’re a good group and I think they’re going in the right direction.”
The Owls will continue their six-game road streak when they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face Wake Forest (1-0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coastal Conference) on August 22 at 7 p.m.
