Men's Soccer Opens California Trip With 4-1 Setback From Cal Poly

Friday, September 14

San Luis Obispo, CA

10:00 p.m.

Temple University

1-2-1

California Polytechnic State University

3-2-0

Temple

Cal Poly

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Men's Soccer Opens California Trip With 4-1 Setback From Cal Poly

9.15.12 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Opening its weekend stay in the state of California, Temple Men's Soccer (1-2-1) met a vicious Cal Poly (3-2-0) squad at a loud and pakced in Alex G. Spanos Stadium, where the Mustangs handed the Owls a 4-1 defeat. Following Cal Poly's tempo-setting goal in the 7th minute, redshirt sophomore Chas Wilson deadlocked the score with his third goal of the season, but it would be the only offense Temple would be able to muster on Friday evening.

In the 25th minute, freshman Jared Martinelli, who assisted on both of Wilson's goals on Tuesday, was credited with the helper on Wilson's tally on Friday night. Before the goal, Martinelli blasted a shot that was stopped by sophomore Chase Hauser, but bounced out, allowing Wilson to put a foot on it for the equalizer.

Senior Bobby Rosato made his first start of the 2012 season after spending a majority of the first three games sidelined with a fracture in his right forearm. In his first full game of the season, the Owls' netminder turned away three shots.

For the match, the Mustangs outshot the Owls, 18-12. Heading into the halftime locker room with the scored knotted at one apiece, Temple was being outshot only by a count of 10-8, but Cal Poly came back with a brutal attack in the final 45 minutes, as they sprung with three goals in the half.

In the 56th minute, Cal Poly thought it had taken a 2-1 lead when a ball that defected off of Rosato was kicked back into the net by senior Dakota Collins—the referees waived off the goal, due to a Mustang being offside.

Though they lost the goal and the Owls breathed a sigh of relief, Cal Poly maintained its pressure and amped up its momentum, producing a goal that counted in the 61st minute when Chris Bernardi netted hos first of two goals on the night. The redshirt freshman midfielder would tack on a late insurance goal in the 86th minute, to seal a 4-1 Mustang win.

Before that, senior Chris Gaschen extended the 2-1 lead to a two-point advantage when he drilled a ball past Rosato in the 77th minute.

Held to four shots in the second half, the Owls were unable to direct any of those chances in the way of Cal Poly sophomore keeper Chase Hauser. In the final 45 minutes, neither netminder made a save.

Temple drops to 1-2-1 on the year with Friday's loss to Cal Poly, who improved to 3-2-0 by winning its third straight, which matches the longest winning streak for the Mustangs since 2007.

From here, the Owls will make their way to Fullerton, where they will go up against another Big West squad in the California State Northridge Matadors on Sunday evening. Kickoff time is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET.