Pictured Above: Senior tri-captain Maria Nunez (Credit: Gerome Wright)
 
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Philadelphia, PA – The Wagner College women's soccer team cut Temple's lead in half in the 61' and had a chance for the tying marker but was unsuccessful as the Seahawks were edged by the Owls, 2-1, on Wednesday evening.
 
Tonight's match was the final non-conference test as Wagner (2-6) now embarks on its all-important 10-game Northeast Conference (NEC) schedule.
 
The Seahawks nearly got on the board first in the opening minutes of the contest, as junior forward Mya Donnelly was able to put a shot on goal but was denied by Temple's goalkeeper, Morgan Basileo. On the Owls' first possession of the game, Marissa Digenova's shot attempt in the 10' went wide of the target.
 
Wagner's next chance came in the 17' as junior defender Madison Starr's shot attempt went wide of the goal. Both teams continued to find their rhythm as in the 26' Jaramillo pelted a shot on target that was saved by Basileo, preserving the 0-0 tie. 
 
Seahawk freshman goalkeeper Erin Kelly kept Temple (2-3-3) off the board in the 30' as Morgan Morocco's chance was turned aside by the Massapequa, NY product. The visitors went on the counter-attack, as Barone fired a shot in the 38' that found the arms of Basileo. In the final minutes of the first half, Digenova nearly broke the stalemate as her attempt banked off the crossbar and trickled out of play, keeping the match scoreless.
 
A minute into the second half, the Owls broke through as Hailey Gutowski put one past Kelly, off a feed from Gabriela Johnson, to give Temple the 1-0 advantage. The Seahawks had a pair of chances within a two-minute span. In the 55', Donnelly nearly put Wagner on the board as she sent a shot on goal that was thwarted by Basileo. Two minutes later, sophomore forward Luisa Barone tried to put one past the Temple netminder, but again Basileo was able to come up with the save.
 
Temple added its second score of the match in the 59' when Johnson found the back of the net after receiving a pass from Digenova. The Green & White broke through in the 61' as senior tri-captain Maria Nunez put in her fourth goal of the season off a feed from graduate midfielder, Mariana Jaramillo.  Nunez has now recorded a goal in back-to-back matches, having scored in Sunday's win over Iona, upping her career goal score tally to 12, while Jaramillo was credited with her first career assist. 
 
The visitors worked hard in trying to get the match-tying goal, as in the 79' freshman defender Annie White had a chance on net but that turned away by Basileo. A couple of minutes later, senior defender Autumn Clark's chance was also denied by the Owls' goalkeeper.
 
In the final moments of the contest, Donnelly blasted a shot that sailed high over the goal. Following a foul on Temple, the Seahawks were awarded a corner kick with a minute left in regulation. Jaramillo stepped up and launched the ball into the box that found the foot of sophomore midfielder, Gabby Cipriano, but her attempt was blocked by an Owls' defender as Temple held on for the victory.

Kelly finished with four saves on the evening while her counterpart, Basileo, notched seven stops. Donnelly led the way with four shots while Barone and Jaramillo recorded two shots apiece. 
 
On Sunday, September 22, Wagner will open NEC play on the road as the Seahawks travel to Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5 to tangle with St. Francis Brooklyn in 1:00 p.m. start.

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