Last Friday, a women’s field hockey game ended abruptly due to a nearby shooting.
Saint Louis and La Salle were facing off at Howarth Field at Temple University in Philadelphia. La Salle, another Philly school, is playing its home games at the field this year.
With 10:45 left in the game, gunshots rang out across the block, leading to just about everyone at the complex being forced to take cover.
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The match between the Shippensburg Raiders and West Chester Golden Rams during the Division II Women’s Field Hockey Championship was held at Biemesderfer Stadium on November 21, 2021, in Millersville, Pennsylvania. (Larry French/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The situation prompted La Salle to break its silence on the “senseless gun violence” incident.
In its statement released Friday, the team said that bullets “began entering the complex,” leaving the players in serious danger.
“Everyone on the field was exposed, forced to run for their lives as they heard bullets whizzing overhead, and witness shots crossing the field, some striking the turf. Fans supporting the Explorers and Billikens had to take cover as bullets hit the bleachers where they had been seated. The players who made it to the locker room safety had no idea if their families, friends, and missing teammates were injured,” the team wrote and sent in a post on X.
“This is not normal. We cannot accept this as our reality. We are committed to sharing our story – the real story. The public must understand the severity of this ongoing issue, and we cannot achieve that if experiences like ours continue to be deflected.
The shooting occurred at a Temple University complex. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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“We raise our voices to advocate for change, and we will not let this incident stop us from playing the game we love. We are grateful that nobody was hurt, but it should not take a tragedy for change to occur. Thank you for your support. Together, we can make a difference.”
Philadelphia Police said the shooting occurred at a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot – no arrest was initially made, and no weapon was recovered, but thankfully, nobody was hurt.
La Salle was winning, 1-0, at the time of the shooting. They have since been credited with a win by that score. They played in their first game since the shooting on Friday, losing 4-0 to the University of Richmond.
A hockey stick and hockey ball during the Men’s Hockey International match between Ireland and Austria at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. (Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Saint Louis had a game earlier this week against Sacred Heart canceled. They, too, returned to action on Friday, losing 5-1 to UMass.
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