Mark McHugh

The Temple News

Following a difficult road trip, the women’s lacrosse rebounded by beating Delaware, (2-7) 11-9, in a gritty comeback victory on Saturday, March 17.

Trailing by three early in the second half, the Owls (6-2) picked up the intensity and scored four unanswered goals to go ahead. Two more Delaware goals put Temple behind 9-8, but the last 12 minutes were dominated by the Owls, who sealed the deal with the final three scores of the game.

Junior midfielder Charlotte Swavola and senior midfielder Karly Cohen lead the way for Temple with three goals each, while senior midfielder Stephanie Markunas and junior midfielder Stephany Parcell provided key experience and leadership that fueled the second half comeback.

All year long, Markunas and Parcell have been instrumental in leading a the team whose mental toughness seems to set them apart, especially in hard fought games such as the one on Saturday.

“We never have the mentality of, ‘we’re down,’” Markunas said. “It’s always, ‘we’re going to win this game.’ Even if the score isn’t going our way at certain points, we still feel like we’re up.”

Markunas and Parcell are the core of what has become a tight-knit group of players, who all dedicate themselves to the common goal of winning an Atlantic Ten Championship.

“We, as a team, work so hard in the weight room and on and off the field and it shows in the game that we can come back from behind,” Parcell said.

The team-oriented nature of the group exhibits itself on the field, as well.

“Compared to other schools, we like to assist,” Markunas said. “We don’t depend on one-on-one’s. We can use our [personal] strengths but we can also work with each other.”

Saturday’s game was a prime example of the team’s unity and resilience, as they were forced to bounce back from a tough road trip, in which the Owls recorded their first two losses of the season, the most recent being a 20-3 pounding by No. 5 Florida.

“Coming off of two losses, we were really hungry for a win,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. “I’m really proud of the fact that we gritted it out to get a win.”

Despite the slip up in Florida, Rosen said she was confident that her players would rise to the occasion and earn a win when they really needed one.

“I really wasn’t worried about how we would respond to our two losses in Florida,” Rosen said.

“This is a really special team,” she added. “They have demonstrated resiliency day in and day out. They come out to practice ready the next day, regardless of win or lose.”

Although Saturday wasn’t the most efficient win for the Owls, Rosen said that she said she was pleased with the way her players found a way to win in a game that required both patience and tenacity.

The Owls’ next test is Tuesday, March 20 at home against Towson, the final matchup before opening up the A-10 schedule against St. Bonaventure.

Mark McHugh can be reached at mark.mchugh@temple.edu.