PHILADELPHIA - Kristin Hextall scored just 2:34 into the match and Carissa Philips added two insurance goals to help the La Salle Women's Soccer team to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Temple Owls in Atlantic 10 Conference action at McCarthy Stadium, Sunday afternoon.
Hextall - whose goal held on for her 11th career game-winner - took a pass on the right side from Sara Copare turned and fired to the far post beating Temple goalie Kara Williams to give the Explorers the early lead. In seven of their eight wins in 2007, the Explorers have scored a goal within the first 10 minutes of the contest.
The goal for Hextall now gives her 27 for her career - tied for second all-time with Lisa McDermott (1988), and nine for the year, which is tied for eighth all-time in a season at the school. Her 22 points this year is also tied for eighth in a season and her 61 shots are sixth in a season.
Philips added a pair of insurance goals for La Salle on almost identical plays. In the 36th minute, Philips knocked home a cross from Morgan Golden for her first career goal then added her second in the 65th minute off a cross from Michelle Verzi. One minute later, she came close to the hat trick, but her shot was saved be a Temple defender.
Temple (5-6-3, 1-4-1 A-10) managed just one shot in the first half, but had six in the second - the closest chance for a goal was Cori Gallagher's free kick from 40-yards out in the 72nd minute.
Melissa Sanger won her third game in net for the Explorers - making five saves, while Williams registered eight saves, but suffered the loss.
With the win, this year's Explorers now have more wins (eight) by their 14th game, than all but one other team in the school's history - the 2000 squad that finished 12-6 was 11-3 at this point in the season. The 31 goals scored so far by the 2007 team is already tied for the fourth-most in a season, while the 35 assists are also fourth all-time.
La Salle (8-6-0, 2-3-0) will head north this coming weekend, traveling to Rhode Island for a match at 7 PM Friday and they are at Massachusetts, Sunday at 1 PM.
