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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Page 19
Team faults on Lacrosse earns win in season opener tough schedule goalies PAGE 20
an eye on my condition. I’m still able to play matches.” No Owls are suffering from any major injuries, but there have been a few instances where minor injuries prevented a player from competing. Junior EVAN CROSS Yana Mavrina had to forfeit her The Temple News top-flight match on Wednesday after three games due to an illD e s p i t e ness, which Mauro said will not WOMEN’S TENNIS being picked to finish fourth be a lasting issue. in the Atlantic 10 Conference, “We’ve had a lot of injuTemple has only won one of ries,” Batey said. “It’s been hard seven matches this season, with to get in a rhythm with each oththe lone victory coming against er. Once we get a really steady a Morgan State, a team with the rhythm going it’ll be fine. I’m same record of 1-6. not worried about it at all.” Somewhat surprisingly, the Despite missing some time, Owls aren’t very worried about Batey has been doing well in it. doubles. She and her partner, “I think it’s gonna be really junior Alicia Doms, are 2-0 topromising,” junior Carly Bohm- gether in the spring, both wins an said. “I think it’s going to get being in the first flight. They better and better as we get our also played a match together stuff together.” against VCU that was not com“Once we get healthy, ev- pleted. erything should be fine,” coach “I’m really focusing on Steve Mauro said. “We just need playing well in doubles,” Batey to keep working at it.” said. “I want to have 10 or 15 The Owls started off the wins with Alicia. I think we season with a string of tough have a good chance. I’m really games. Three of their first five confident with the way we’re matches were against nationally playing. We mesh with each ranked teams: other well. It’s Virginia Comreally fun playmonwealth, Penn ing with her.” State and PrincTemple did eton, all losses. not play a home On Feb. 13, the match this seaOwls lost at son until last home to Georgeweek’s match town 4-2. The against Georgeother losses were town. The against Campbell Owls played and Richmond. Richmond at Those six teams Jordan Batey / junior tennis player the University have a combined of Pennsylvarecord of 23-12. nia because the “We’ve had a tough sched- Legacy Tennis Center, where ule,” Mauro said. “We’ve Temple plays home matches, played some really tough teams was unavailable at the time. like Princeton and VCU. We’ve “Traveling takes a little played the two strongest oppo- bit out of you, and the people nents in the A-10 [Richmond watching are not cheering for and VCU]. We just need to keep you,” Bohman said. “We had working at it.” our first home match Wednes“We had two really close day, and it was definitely a lot matches against Richmond and more comfortable. It’s our terGeorgetown,” Bohman said. ritory.” “We’re starting to get into better Bohman said the poor start shape and more mentally in the is not affecting the team camagame. It’s just taking us a little raderie, and there is “definitely bit longer than usual this year to more unity” among the players. get into shape.” “[The season] is going to Bohman said the schedule be really promising,” Bohman has affected team morale. said. “We’re playing Buffalo “Our confidence is a little next week, which should be a bit thrown off from the tough really good match. I think it’s start,” Bohman said. “[Junior] gonna get better and better as we Jordan [Batey] was injured for get our stuff together.” two matches, and that made a big difference.” Evan Cross can be reached Batey, who is 3-1 in singles at evan.cross@temple.edu or on Twitter @EvanCross. matches this spring, has been suffering from chest congestion. She has played in the past two matches, but said she isn’t completely healthy yet. “I’m working back now,” Batey said. “Just practicing harder. I’m still trying to keep
Opening schedule of nationally ranked teams contribute to a slow start.
“We’ve had a lot
of injuries. It’s been hard to get in a rhythm with each other.
”
2013 season is the first time Temple has started a new goalie in years. “We’ve been pushing ourselves,” Kakalecik said. “Last year there were four of us and we all really pushed ourselves, and this year we’re doing the same.” With Bishop as the fulltime starter the last couple seasons, Clothier has served as her backup for the majority of her career, until Saturday’s game. The season opener against Niagara was Clothier’s first career start. “My whole career, I’ve always played in practice as if I was going to be the starter, even if I’m not going to be,” Clothier said. “This team wants to go far and in order to do that, we need solid goalkeeping. So it’s more motivating than anything.” Clothier faced seven shots, recording three saves and allowing four goals in her first half as the starting goalie. After the Owls jumped out to a 12-4 lead, to Kakalecik’s surprise, Clothier was benched and the redshirt freshman was put on the field, for the second period. “It was kind of a surprise. With five minutes left in the half, coach just told me to get my stuff on,” Kakalecik said. “I went and got warmed up and she told me I was going to be playing the second half.” During her playing time in the second period, Kakalecik faced three shots, recorded two saves and allowed one goal. “I was really impressed with their ability to focus in. Each came out with some key stops when we needed it,”
Freshman midfielder Bridget Hufnagel controls a ball against Niagara. Freshmen combined to score five of the Owls’ 18 goals as they took the season opener 18-5. | maggie trapani TTN Rosen said. Clothier, the more tenured goalie, received the win for Saturday’s game, but Rosen did not show favor for one goalie over the other, giving them equal playing time. “If we can use multiple goalies, we’re going to use them,” Rosen said. “We’re going to keep pushing the competition, so that we have the best in the cage at all times. Both of them did a pretty nice job.” With no designated starter
after the first game, Rosen said the goalie situation will continue to be an open competition. “We’re all really competing and pushing each other to be the best goalie,” Kakalecik said. “In practice it’s always if Clothier makes one save, I try to make two. It’s the same with her. We’re always competing against each other and it’s all in good fun.” In the season-opening blowout win, Niagara attempted 10 shots. Neither of the Owls’
goalies had the opportunity to gain an advantage in the battle for playing time. As the season continues, a larger sampling may lead to one of the goalies receiving the full-time job. “I’m just going to go out and do what I’ve been doing, the same way I’ve been doing it,” Clothier said. Brien Edwards can be reached at brien.edwards@temple.edu or on Twitter @BErick1123.
Two-thirds of the team local BASEBALL PAGE 20
he chose to attend Temple. Staskey said he was also considering Western Carolina, Campbell University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Staskey and Williams also had the advantage of not being too far away during the period when Wheeler was scouting talent. “I did get a chance to see both Texas and Connor before they joined us [at Temple],” Wheeler said. “Having ties to high school coaches and legion coaches [in Virginia] made it easy for me to continue with those inroads. We certainly continue our recruiting efforts down there just because of spending 14 years down there.” As the third freshman that joined Temple from outside of the tri-state area, Lain is also the freshman who had to travel the farthest. He stated a number of reasons as to why he chose
Temple instead of Illinois State, the University of Northern Colorado and various junior colleges in Arizona. “It was really the relationships with the coaches,” Lain said. “They did a really good job creating relationships with me. You have got to feel comfortable around the coaches that you’re going to be with for the next four years. They are kind of like a father figure. You want to respect that person and feel comfortable around them.” Along with developing relationships with the coaching staff, Lain said the rich history of the baseball program at Temple, as well as the move to the Big East Conference next season were two deciding factors that led him to Philadelphia. “That’s big time,” Lain said. “I wanted to be part of something special. I think [Temple] is going to be special and
we are special and it’s a direction that I wanted to go and a lot of the other recruits did too.” Similar to Lain, Staskey also cited the Big East as a reason he chose to join Wheeler and the Owls. Besides a change in conference beginning in 2014, Staskey said he wanted a chance to make an immediate impact at the collegiate level, an opportunity Wheeler told Staskey was very likely. “Those guys have come in and have done a tremendous job,” Wheeler said of Staskey, Williams and Lain. “They are certainly going to get a chance to compete for starting time and they are going to get a chance to play, but right now as freshmen, not really having played any games, they need to get into the flow of things and that is where the upperclassmen can do a great job by leading early on and then we will lead those
guys into the mix.” In Temple’s opening game against Wright State on Friday, Feb. 15, Staskey pitched one inning, recording two strikeouts and no hits or runs allowed in the 8-3 loss. Following the loss to Wright State, Lain got his first chance to pinch hit for the Owls but struck out in his only plate appearance in the 8-4 loss to Delaware. “Players from all over the country are interested in Temple and you have got to get out there to see them,” Wheeler said. “If they are better than guys that are in the area then we are going to take the best players available.” John Murrow can be reached at john.murrow@temple.edu or on Twitter @JohnMurrow12.
Owls can build on performance against Penn State regionals PAGE 20 one of the big influences on this season’s final regional rankings, senior forward Sean Nealis said. “The one game that hurt us the most is the Maryland game,” Nealis said. “To me, that’s the biggest downfall of our season. If we had beaten them back then, we’re in the tournament with no questions asked.” “The one time we played [Maryland], it was down at their rink,” senior forward and captain Jordan Lawrence said. “We got down there late, it was freezing [cold] and that’s just how I see it. I think overall, we’re a much deeper team than they are. We’re a better team and our record proves it. It just so happens that the people who decided didn’t feel that way.” For the Owls, the regionals snub comes one year after finishing in the 11th spot in a
forgettable 2011-12 season that entirely better this year. We saw the Owls finish with a 9-18 might have lost 18 or 20 games regular season record. last year and we still came in A f t e r 11th, as opposed turning in an to this year when improved 17we won 17 or 18 12 regular seagames and we still son mark this finished 11th. It’s time around, frustrating.” the Owls hav“You ask a ing an 11th ton of questions to place ribbon yourself and what to show for you could’ve done it once again better in certain does not sit games,” Lawrence well. added. “[Getting “It’s defito nationals] was nitely frustratour goal and when ing to be 11th it’s taken away two years in from you like that, Jerry Roberts / coach obviously there’s a row,” Lawrence said. “I a lot of anger and think our team disappointment. was entirely different than last You want to point the finger year, and I think our team was at other people. But we’ve ac-
“Even though
we didn’t have the outcome we wanted, they played their best game of the season at the very end.
”
cepted the fact that we didn’t do enough to convince people that we belonged there.” In wake of missing the tournament, the Owls still participated in the MACHA conference tournament as the No. 4 seed in the MACHA North bracket, and faced No. 1 Penn State (23-4-1, 10-0 MACHA North) in the quarterfinal round. The Ice Lions were unbeaten in MACHA postseason play going into the matchup. Though the Owls fell 3-1 to their division rival, they were still able to hang tough against one of the ACHA’s marquee D-II teams. “Penn State is expected to come out of pool play in nationals, and we had them on the ropes for much of the game,” Nealis said. “They got a couple more bounces and that’s what it
really came down to.” “We were a couple of missed opportunities away from knocking the best team in the MACHA playoffs out,” Nealis added. “As far as losing goes, we all walked it with our heads up because that was probably our best game of the season.” In the midst of a week to forget, the hard-fought loss to the conference’s best team allowed the Owls to bow out of 2012-13 with a heightened sense of pride, Roberts said. “Even though we didn’t have the outcome we wanted, they played their best game of the season at the very end of the season,” Roberts said. “With the roller coaster ride we’ve been on this year with all of the ups and downs, it was nice to be able to sit in that locker room after the game and have all the
players look at each other in the eye and say ‘You know, we really wanted it tonight and we played really well.’” “And maybe I’m looking for the silver lining in all of this, but there was a certain sense of pride that we had in that locker room that we haven’t been able to have at any point this season,” Roberts added. “I think it’s a great positive note to build on and get ourselves ready for next season.” Andrew Parent can be reached at andrew.parent@temple.edu or on Twitter @daParent93.