Men's Soccer and Penn Play to Scoreless Draw

Tuesday, October 23

Temple Sports Complex

7:00 P.M.

Temple University

4-8-4

Penn

2-4-6

OT 3

OT 4

Penn

Temple

Men's Soccer and Penn Play to Scoreless Draw

10.23.18 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Temple men's soccer squad (4-8-4, 1-3-1 AAC) and the Penn Quakers (2-4-6, 0-3-1 IVY) battled to a scoreless draw on a chilly Tuesday night at the Temple Sports Complex. After 110 minutes, neither team could find the back of the net despite multiple scoring opportunities.

How it Happened
> It was a slow first half on both ends of the field with fluctuating possession between the teams. The first shot of the game did not come until the 13th minute, when Penn's Brandon Bartel sent a corner kick lofting into the box, finding the foot of Wes Maki whose shot was blocked by a Temple defender.
> In the 19th minute of action, junior Lukas Fernandes took the first shot of the game for the Owls. He collected himself inside the Penn goal box, sending a shot spiraling towards net that flew just high of the upper right 90.
> The action picked up in the second half, with one of Temple's strongest chances coming in the 50th minute from a Temple offensive flare. Senior Hermann Doerner ripped a shot from just outside the Penn 18 yard box that looked to be on frame, but ultimately sailed just over the crossbar. Only three minutes later, Fernandes sent a hard-driven shot towards net, but Penn's keeper Scott Forbes was there to make the diving save.
> In the 86th minute, the offense picked up again when Fernandes flew forward on a counter attack opportunity. Dodging his defenders and hustling into the box, he lofted a shot just wide left of net, leaving the scoreboard untouched at 0-0.
> Both overtime periods were filled with excitement, as each team got closer to net than in the majority of regulation. When the offensive pressure increased, both goalies made key saves to keep the game alive in extra time. The match was up for grabs up until the last play of the game, as the Owls thought they notched the game winner in the 110th minute. After a scramble in the Quaker goal box, senior Belal Mohamed found a piece of the ball and tapped it in, discovering that he was offsides moments later.

Game Notes
> Defensive efforts by the back line of Tyler Gainer, Pierre Cayet, Jamie Pick and Zach Brown along with six saves by Simon Lefebvre earned the Owls their fourth blank sheet of the season.
> The extra time needed to decide tonight's match marks the seventh overtime game the Owls have played this season.
> After 110 minutes Penn took the edge in corner kicks (4-3), shots (16-14) and saves (9-6), but Temple put nine shots on target compared to their six. Lefebvre notched his third shutout of the year, and has now saved 51 total shots this season.

Quotable
> "There is always an edge to the game when facing an inner city rival," said head coach Brian Rowland. "I was pleased overall with our ideas and what we were trying to do, we just needed a bit more execution. Penn is a very difficult team to break down. We created chances and carried the play, but couldn't find the back of the net. We learned from some moments in the game, now we look to move on and get ready for Saturday."

Up Next
> The Owls will play their last home game of the season at the Temple Sports Complex on Saturday, Oct. 27 in an American Athletic Conference against Tulsa. They will honor their six seniors for all of their dedication to the program over the past four years as they play their final match at the TSC. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m., and admission is free for all who attend.