PHILADELPHIA – The Navy women's soccer team rounded out its non-conference slate with a road contest at Temple University on Sunday afternoon. After 90 minutes of end-to-end action, the host Owls (2-7) were victorious by a score of 1-0 over the Mids (6-5) at the Temple Sports Complex.

Navy's goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood (Fr., Cypress, Texas) highlighted the team's individual efforts on Sunday as she matched her career-high with seven saves.

"That was tough result heading into Patriot League play," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "It's always difficult to play on the road and on a turf field, but those are things that we knew coming into today. We were a step slow physically and a step or two slow mentally throughout most of the first half. By the time we fixed our effort and energy level it was too late. It's tough to fight out of a hole and we've given up the first score in three straight games, though we've come away with two victories during that stretch; that's a dangerous line to toe. We need to put together a complete 90-minute game when it comes to league play."

The first half was filled with action up-and-down the pitch as Navy controlled the majority of the possession and chances in the first 10 minutes with three shots, including a crisp short-corner give-and-go with Amanda Graziano (Sr., Middlebury, Conn.) playing Chiara Cosenza (So., Westfield, N.J.), who immediately laid the ball off to Graziano for a threatening shot that looped ever so slightly over the goal in the 10th minute.

Temple started evening out the possession a bit more over the next 10 minutes as the Owls recorded a pair of shots, including a 20th minute shot on goal by Sumaya Togba.

A sloppy turnover in the defense third by Temple saw Cosenza intercept a poor clearance and take a few dribbles before ripping a shot on goal. Unfortunately for the Mids, the Owls' goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe was there for the save in the 21st minute.

A little over three minutes later, Stramrood flexed her goalkeeping skills with a dynamic diving save to the back corner that pushed a Togba shot on goal just wide.

The back-and-forth action reached a crescendo at 30:54 when Yao Zhou was on the receiving end of two quick passes in the goal box to re-direct a shot into the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Trailing with just over 14 minutes left in the first half, Navy kept its focus on netting an equalizer and had two high-percentage looks as Kayana Adlam (Fr., Orlando, Fla.) was hit in stride with a through ball over the top in the 37th minute before a Temple defender pushed her off the ball temporarily to allow Bynoe to use that brief break of daylight to pounce on the loose ball. In the waning seconds of the half, Hannah Mulholland (So., Chandler, Ariz.) launched a free kick that skipped through the box and found Graziano, who flicked a shot wide.

The opening 15 minutes of the second half was fairly even as both teams were credited with three shots, though two of the Owls' attempts required saves by Stramrood, while only Adlam's shot in the 60th minute forced Bynoe into action.

A few minutes later, Alexa Riddle (Sr., Tomball, Texas) had one of her patented sprints to the end line and cross into the box. After placing a line drive grounder to the on-coming Cosenza, the sophomore attacker rocketed a shot past Temple's goalkeeper, but squarely into the cross bar.

Trailing 1-0 in the 70th minute, Stramrood made sure her team stayed within striking distance as she denied the Owls' look at an insurance goal when Gabby Oudin snapped a header shot after receiving a curling free kick to the near post; Stramrood read the cross the whole way and quickly snagged Oudin's attempt.

The end-to-end action continued as Isabella Romano (Jr., Syosset, N.Y.) fed Cosenza for a one-time shot on goal that was initially saved, but Riddle collected the rebound, had her first shot blocked and then her next shot saved by Bynoe in a matter of seven seconds.

Navy's final shot on goal came in the 84th minute in a well-built up look that saw Marlee Heaven (Jr., Rockville, Md.) head the ball ahead to Riddle, who headed the ball on one bounce into space where Mulholland met it for a volley shot that was deflected away by Bynum.

The Owls salted away the victory with a slower possession-based attack the final five-plus minutes.

For the game, Temple out-shot Navy, 17-12 with an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.

Stramrood finished the contest with seven saves. That total matched her effort versus Rice on Aug. 18.

After completing its non-conference slate with a 6-5 mark, Navy will turn its attention to Patriot League play beginning this coming Friday with a trip to Bethlehem, Pa. and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Kick-off between the squads is set for 6 p.m.

 "We'll have a week of training and film to get ourselves ready for league action on Friday night. Overall, there were a lot of positives to take from our play during the non-conference, but also some things that we still have to tighten up. It's a whole new season starting Friday."