NORFOLK, Va. – Kara Nakrasius scored with 24 seconds remaining in the second half to break an 8-all deadlock and lift visiting No. 24 Temple to a 9-8 victory over the Old Dominion women's lacrosse team on Sunday afternoon.
"Temple is a very strong team, and we knew that coming into the weekend," head coach Heather Holt said. "We made a few adjustments from Friday's game, and the girls really stepped up. I am really proud of our team and the effort throughout the entire game today. We are learning from all of these games and are only getting better."
The Monarchs (3-8, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) went on a 3-0 scoring run to erase a 7-5 deficit with 6:30 remaining in the game. Claire Porter netted back-to-back goals in the span of 1:23 to tie the score at 7-7. Lilly Siskind set up Ali Mills with 6:32 left on the clock to put ODU on top 8-7, but the Owls (6-3, 2-2) scored the final two goals of the game to come away with the win. Belle Mastropietro leveled the score at 8-8 with 4:21 remaining in the second to set up Nakrasius' late winner.
ODU led 4-2 at halftime behind a strong start from goalkeeper Sabrina Leatherwood. The freshman from North Potomac, Maryland made nine saves in the first half and finished the game with a career-high 17, which are tied for the third-most stops in Division I this season.
Haley O'Connor put the Monarchs on the board early, when she finished off a pass from Danielle Dundas just 49 seconds into the game. The ODU defense held tightly to that 1-0 advantage, keeping Temple scoreless for just over six minutes to start the game. Bridget Whitaker tied the score at 1-1, but Siskind found the back of the net at the 13:03 mark. The sophomore from West Chester, Pennsylvania now has 22 goals and 32 points this season, both team highs, and is tied for second on the team with 10 assists.
Temple scored its second goal of the first half with 6:05 remaining, but the final two tallies of the period went to the Monarchs. Corrinne Stratton set up Mills at the 3:44 mark. Stratton then scored with a woman advantage with just 34 seconds left in the half.
The Owls struck twice inside the first three minutes of the second half to tie the game at 4-4, but O'Connor put the Monarchs ahead once more with her 13th goal of the season at the 24:18 mark. From there, Temple netted three-straight times, including a pair of goals from Nakrasius, to take its largest lead of the game at 7-5.
Three ODU players (O'Connor, Porter and Mills) scored two goals in the loss. Siskind and Dundas dished out a pair of assists each. Nakrasius notched a hat trick for the Owls.
Lauren Carey matched game highs with four ground balls and three caused turnovers. The freshman from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania paces the Monarchs with 29 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers this season. Madison Corcoran chipped in three ground balls, two caused turnovers and one draw control.
Shana Hecht made six saves for the Owls.
Prior to the game, the Monarchs honored their 10-member senior class of 2020 as Stephanie Allen, Ryann Bauer, Kerri Caruso, Anna Davis, Megan Donohue, Glory Johnson, Michelle Hallman, Mary Katherine Maloney, Haley Rineer and Brooke Stein missed out on a traditional senior day due to the shortened season last year.
Old Dominion now sets out for its first road games of the season at Vanderbilt on April 1 and 3. After that, the Monarchs have another road conference series with Cincinnati (April 16 and 18) before closing out the season at home against Florida on April 23 and 25.
Women’s Lacrosse Falls 9-8 to No. 24 Temple
