Suarez and Karani Propel Men's Soccer to 3-1 Win Over USF

Friday, October 18

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM

Temple University

5-6-1

USF

7-4

USF

Temple

Suarez and Karani Propel Men's Soccer to 3-1 Win Over USF

10.18.19 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Temple men's soccer team (5-6-1, 2-1-1 AAC) picked up a huge American Athletic Conference victory on Friday evening, downing USF (7-4, 2-2 AAC) 3-1 on a chilly night at the Temple Sports Complex. Sophomore Esteban Suarez started the scoring for the Owls and freshman Sean Karani notched two to finish it off and propel the squad to its second-straight conference win.

How it Happened
> USF wasted no time off the whistle, darting down the field almost immediately and firing off a threatening chance just 48 seconds into action. Senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre came up big for the Owls in the first play of the game, stopping a shot from USF's Avionne Flanagan on the goal line and clearing it to safety to critically keep the score even.
> Temple caught its footing and regained possession to fire off its first solid chance of the night in the 12thminute. Suarez got behind an in-swinging corner kick and lofted the ball into the six-yard box, finding the head of junior captain Pierre Cayet who sent a shot on frame but was denied by USF's Cooper Blay.
> Two minutes later, the Owls continued their momentum and nearly got on the board when Lukas Fernandes stepped up for a free kick just outside the box. The senior captain rocketed a shot on frame, but the ball ricocheted off the cross bar to keep the score notched at zero.
> The Owls broke through the USF defense in the 32nd minute to score their first goal of the night. Senior Leandros Lillis fired an in-swinging corner to the far post where Suarez was well-positioned to tap it in and give Temple the 1-0 lead. Suarez's first-career goal allowed Temple to head into the locker room with the advantage after the teams were tied at five shots, two on goal apiece.
> Entering into the second half, the Temple offense kept consistent pressure on the talented USF backline and was rewarded in the 61st minute. Fernandes received the ball and drove forward, distributing inside the 18 to Karani. A threat in the attacking third all evening for the Cherry and White, the freshman took on USF's goalkeeper 1v1 and came out victorious to put the Owls up by two.
> The Bulls responded nine minutes later when they capitalized on a corner kick. Emilio Ycaza got on the end of the service and buried it to score USF's lone goal of the contest.
> Karani sealed the deal on the evening in the 87th minute to notch his first-ever career brace. Freshman Lior Nesher slipped the ball through to his fellow rookie, who collected it in the center and rocketed a shot past the USF keeper to finish off Temple's scoring for the night.

Game Notes
> Karani has now scored in two straight games for the Owls, propelling the squad to two massive conference wins over Memphis and USF. His seven points on the year move him to the top of the scoresheet for Temple's offensive distribution, topping Fernandes (6) by one point.
> Lefebvre had a big night for the Cherry and White, notching five saves and conceding just one goal out of USF's 14 shots.
> It was a chippy match that saw four yellow cards and 37 fouls between the Bulls and the Owls. The AAC foes each had four corner kick opportunities and the Bulls took a 6-4 nudge in shots on goal in the physical battle, as Temple scored on three of its four shots on target.

From the Coach
> "Some guys were able to show their real quality tonight in the attack," said head coach Brian Rowland. "USF presented us some different problems than we have faced this season, which forced us to defend in different spaces and allowed us to be much more successful in transition. I thought we had some great moments on the ball and it was great to see the team get rewarded on the score board as the pieces start to come together."

Up Next
> The Owls will be back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 22 for a road battle at RV Louisville. Kickoff for the non-conference match-up is set for 7 p.m. in Louisville, Ky.