Temple University Athletics
Sunday, September 2
Norfolk, Va.
6:00 P.M.
Temple University
1
at
0
No. 25 ODU
Men's Soccer Defeats No. 25 ODU in Thrilling First Win
9.2.18 | Men's Soccer
NORFOLK, Va. – The Temple University men's soccer squad (1-2) showed sheer resilience tonight after taking down nationally ranked ODU (2-1-1), 1-0. The game-winning, man-down goal came off the head of junior Zach Brown in the 63rd minute, and the Owls battled relentlessly to keep the Monarchs scoreless through the final whistle.
How it Happened
> The Owls kept the No. 25 Monarchs off the scoreboard throughout a very physical 90 minutes of play due to gritty effort from each player in Cherry and White. By the end of the match, the foul whistle was blown a total of 35 times, 16 against Temple and 19 against ODU.
> Freshman Elias Hellgren Villegas was given a red card in the 56th minute, causing the Owls to play down a man for the final 34 minutes of action.
> Temple's first goal of the season stemmed from a perfectly placed free kick by freshman Andres Charles-Barrera in the 63rd minute of play. Sophomore Pierre Cayet positioned himself at the far post, framed the goal and headed the ball front and center to find the head of junior Zach Brown, who put it away for his first goal of the season.
> The Owls were able to maintain their lead despite only having 10 players on the field. Junior goalkeeper Michael Samnik was relentless in net finishing with four saves, many of which were sure goals, compared to ODU's one.
Game Notes
> Tonight's win marks the first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015, when the Owls took down No. 25 Penn State, 2-0.
> The victory will go down in history as Temple's first ever win under Head Coach Brian Rowland.
> Temple broke their unbeaten streak against the Monarchs and are now 1-2 all time against ODU.
> Brown's goal marks the first man-down goal the Owls have scored since 2013, when they fell to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), 2-1.
> Samnik's valiant efforts were evident today as he recorded his 11th career start in net for the Owls, along with his first shutout of the season.
> Temple finished the weekend placing second of four teams at the ODU Soccer Classic, landing three players on the All-Tournament squad.
All-Tournament Honors
> Junior midfielder Zach Brown landed on the ODU Soccer Classic All-Tournament team after scoring the game winning goal in tonight's match.
> Sophomore defender Pierre Cayet also earned All-Tournament honors after assisting the game-winning goal. Cayet spearheaded a defense that allowed only one goal on the weekend, coming from a penalty kick.
> Junior defender Akeem Prawl is another member of the Owls' strong defensive unit that allowed only one goal this weekend, landing him a spot on the All-Tournament squad.
From the Coach
> "I have been fortunate to coach in a lot of games, and I can truly say this was one of the hardest fought wins I have ever been a part of," said Rowland. "It is not easy playing two great teams on the road back to back like we did, and all credit goes to this team and the constant effort they give."
> Rowland spoke on the performance put on by the Owls to keep ODU scoreless during their final 34 minutes played a man-down. "Even though we were down a player, we allowed them no real opportunities. We matured a lot this weekend, showing resilience by finding the discipline to finish the job. It was a memorable first win to say the least."
Up Next
The Owls will wrap up their four-game road stint on Wednesday, September 5th when they travel to Lawrenceville, N.J. to take on the Rider Broncs.
How it Happened
> The Owls kept the No. 25 Monarchs off the scoreboard throughout a very physical 90 minutes of play due to gritty effort from each player in Cherry and White. By the end of the match, the foul whistle was blown a total of 35 times, 16 against Temple and 19 against ODU.
> Freshman Elias Hellgren Villegas was given a red card in the 56th minute, causing the Owls to play down a man for the final 34 minutes of action.
> Temple's first goal of the season stemmed from a perfectly placed free kick by freshman Andres Charles-Barrera in the 63rd minute of play. Sophomore Pierre Cayet positioned himself at the far post, framed the goal and headed the ball front and center to find the head of junior Zach Brown, who put it away for his first goal of the season.
> The Owls were able to maintain their lead despite only having 10 players on the field. Junior goalkeeper Michael Samnik was relentless in net finishing with four saves, many of which were sure goals, compared to ODU's one.
Game Notes
> Tonight's win marks the first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015, when the Owls took down No. 25 Penn State, 2-0.
> The victory will go down in history as Temple's first ever win under Head Coach Brian Rowland.
> Temple broke their unbeaten streak against the Monarchs and are now 1-2 all time against ODU.
> Brown's goal marks the first man-down goal the Owls have scored since 2013, when they fell to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), 2-1.
> Samnik's valiant efforts were evident today as he recorded his 11th career start in net for the Owls, along with his first shutout of the season.
> Temple finished the weekend placing second of four teams at the ODU Soccer Classic, landing three players on the All-Tournament squad.
All-Tournament Honors
> Junior midfielder Zach Brown landed on the ODU Soccer Classic All-Tournament team after scoring the game winning goal in tonight's match.
> Sophomore defender Pierre Cayet also earned All-Tournament honors after assisting the game-winning goal. Cayet spearheaded a defense that allowed only one goal on the weekend, coming from a penalty kick.
> Junior defender Akeem Prawl is another member of the Owls' strong defensive unit that allowed only one goal this weekend, landing him a spot on the All-Tournament squad.
From the Coach
> "I have been fortunate to coach in a lot of games, and I can truly say this was one of the hardest fought wins I have ever been a part of," said Rowland. "It is not easy playing two great teams on the road back to back like we did, and all credit goes to this team and the constant effort they give."
> Rowland spoke on the performance put on by the Owls to keep ODU scoreless during their final 34 minutes played a man-down. "Even though we were down a player, we allowed them no real opportunities. We matured a lot this weekend, showing resilience by finding the discipline to finish the job. It was a memorable first win to say the least."
Up Next
The Owls will wrap up their four-game road stint on Wednesday, September 5th when they travel to Lawrenceville, N.J. to take on the Rider Broncs.
Players Mentioned
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