Opening Win Fuels Optimism
Temple University’s field hockey team opened the 2026 season with a 2-1 victory over James Madison University, improving to 1-0 and marking the eighth consecutive season the Owls have started with a win dating back to 2019.
Sophomore Brooke Weaver broke the deadlock in the first quarter, giving Temple an early lead, while senior Riley Gallagher added two goals in the first half, the second of which came with a career-first assist from Mina Uezbe.
James Madison managed only a single penalty stroke in the third quarter, but Temple goalkeeper Alex Lepore made three second-half saves to preserve the narrow advantage.
The Owls will next travel to College Park, Maryland, where they are slated to face Conference Cup host Maryland on Sunday, August 30, at 2 p.m., while JMU’s season will conclude with a match against Drexel at 11 a.m.
Contributions from Lucia Magro, who recorded four shots with two on goal, and Puck Jansen, who led all players with five attempts, highlighted the competitive intensity, while Rozlyn Maciejewski and Lilly Sweeney rounded out the roster’s depth.