Men's Soccer Picks Up Huge 2-1 Road Win at Louisville to Extend Win-Streak to Three

Tuesday, October 22

Louisville, Ky.

7:00 PM

Temple University

6-6-1, 2-1-1

Louisville

7-5-2, 2-3-1

Temple

Louisville

Men's Soccer Picks Up Huge 2-1 Road Win at Louisville to Extend Win-Streak to Three

10.22.19 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It was a thrilling night for the Temple men's soccer team (6-6-1, 2-1-1 AAC), as they picked up a massive 2-1 Tuesday-night road win over Louisville (7-5-2, 2-3-1 ACC) in their final nonconference game of the season. The Owls now have three-straight wins on the table and defeated two teams that appeared in the NCAA RPI top-25 in the past 10 days in No. 13 Louisville and No. 23 Memphis. The Temple offensive output on the night was backed by the team captains, as junior Pierre Cayet and senior Lukas Fernandes each buried a header goal in the first and last five minutes of the second half to propel the Owls to victory.

How it Happened
> The Cardinals gained possession quickly and were able to test senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre early on, firing off the first chance on either side in the 6th minute of play. Cherif Dieye worked his way into Temple's defensive third and rocketed a low-driven shot on frame, but Lefebvre extended forward to punch the ball to safety and keep the game scoreless out the gate.
> Louisville had the Temple offense in a deadlock throughout the majority of the first half with two of the Owls' best chances coming back-to-back just over 20 minutes into play. Leandros Lillis stepped up for a free kick just outside the goal box and sent the ball into dangerous territory in the 22nd minute for one of Temple's first opportunities of the game, but the senior was denied by the Louisville keeper. Three minutes later, Fernandes produced another threatening chance for the Cherry and White off a quick corner, but the senior captain just missed the mark after a save by the Cardinals.
> The Temple defense came up big against its nationally recognized opponent throughout the entirety of the first half, thwarting key chances by the Cardinals over the first 45 minutes as the Owls tried to put the pieces together offensively. At the half, Louisville outshot Temple 5-0 with two on goal and had a 5-2 nudge in corner kicks.
> The Owls reset at halftime and came out ready to battle through a huge second half against the Cardinals. Putting the pressure on early, Temple worked its way up the field right off the bat to earn a corner kick just three minutes into the half. Esteban Suarez stepped up to fire an in-swinging corner right to the top of the six, where Cayet was waiting to bury a header down the center to notch his first goal of the season.
> The Cherry and White nearly struck again in the 52nd minute when Sean Karani battled through traffic up the right flank. The freshman slotted the ball back to the top of the box to the boot of sophomore Jalen Campbell, who sent shot just wide right. 12 minutes later, sophomore Andres Charles almost knocked one in on his own when a 25-yard free kick curled just left of frame to keep the score notched at 1-0.
> After 30 minutes of scoreless play, Louisville equalized in the 75th minute when Dieye slotted the ball back to a charging Liam Bennett, who tapped it in to even the field.
> Overtime seemed imminent as the squads continued to battle but were unable to find the back of the net. With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Karani found the ball in the center and slipped it out wide to sophomore Mickael Borger. Borger chipped it right onto the penalty spot, where Fernandes was perfectly positioned to bury a header to the far post and give the Owls the go-ahead goal.

Game Notes
> The win was Temple's third-straight as the squad knocked out two teams in the past 10 days that received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll (Memphis, 42 votes and Louisville, 40 votes). Six wins on the season also surpasses head coach Brian Rowland's win total of five from his first year at the helm of the program in 2018.
> Cayet's first goal of the season makes him the ninth different Owl to score, illustrating the versatility of the Temple offense. All four members of Temple's starting backline have found the back of the net this season, as Suarez, Brandon Johnson, Borger and Cayet have each scored one apiece.
> Lefebvre had another huge game for the Owls between the posts, notching four saves and allowing just one goal from the powerful Louisville offense. The reigning AAC Goalkeeper of the Week has not allowed more than one goal in a single match during the month of October, and has only conceded more than once on two occasions this season—against No. 13 Georgetown and No. 12 UCF.

From the Coach
> "I'm extremely proud of this team and the grit and resilience they showed," said Rowland. "We didn't have the best first half, but we managed to keep ourselves in the game and come out strong to take charge with an early second half goal. We battled through, and while I'm disappointed we let a goal in, we fought right back and never quit. It was a really good team win building on our momentum from the past few games and I'm really proud of the group and the effort they put in against an extremely talented ACC opponent on the road."

Up Next
> The Owls will return to their home turf at the Temple Sports Complex on Saturday, Oct. 26 to host UConn. The American Athletic Conference match-up is set for 7 p.m.