Temple University Athletics
Saturday, October 26
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 PM
Temple University
vs
Uconn
Men's Soccer to Host UConn in Saturday Night Clash
10.25.19 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA – Building off of a huge road win at Louisville on Tuesday, the Temple University men's soccer team (6-6-1, 2-1-1 AAC) will look to carry its moment into Saturday when it hosts UConn (4-9-1, 1-3 AAC) at the Temple Sports Complex. The Owls will look for their fourth-straight win and their first-ever victory over the Huskies during the 7 p.m. American Athletic Conference battle.
Last Time Out
> The Owls are on a hot streak coming off their biggest win of the season Tuesday night when they downed Louisville (RV), 2-1, in their final non-conference game of the season. Temple now has three-straight wins on the table and defeated two teams that appeared in the NCAA RPI top-25 within 10 days in No. 13 Louisville and No. 23 Memphis. The Temple offensive output was backed by two team captains during the victory, 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.
> 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 with new life that propelled them 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.
> After 30 minutes of scoreless play, Louisville equalized in the 75th minute when Cherif 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.
Scouting the Owls
> Temple is coached by Brian Rowland in his second year leading the program. So far this season, Rowland has led the Owls to a 6-6-1 overall record through an extremely challenging nonconference slate that has featured three top-15 teams and notable wins over Memphis and Louisville, both of whom received at least 40 votes in the latest national poll.
> Cayet's goal on Tuesday made him the ninth different Owl to score this season, illustrating how widespread the Temple offense is. Also, 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.
> Two Owls spearhead the Temple offense as Fernandes and Karani each have eight points on the season from three goals and two assists. Karani scored in two-straight games to help the Owls to back-to-back conference wins over Memphis and USF last week, and Fernandes notched the game-winner against Louisville with just four minutes left in regulation to keep the team's win-streak alive. The freshman-senior duo has proved to be threatening in the offensive third, helping the Owls find their spark that's led to seven goals in the last three games.
> Senior Simon Lefebvre has been phenomenal in net for Temple this season, notching 34 saves in 1205 minutes and allowing just 13 goals in as many games. His 0.97 goals against average and 13 goals allowed each rank second in the conference behind only No. 12 SMU, and the squad's three shutouts stand in a five-way tie for second as well. 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.
Scouting the Huskies
> UConn is coached by Ray Reid in his 23rd season at the helm of the program. So far this season, he's led the squad to a 4-9-1 overall record with a 1-3-0 tab in conference play. The Huskies started the season hot, scoring five goals in back-to-back wins over Rider and Rhode Island to open the season, and most recently picked up their lone conference victory in a 2-0 shutout over Cincinnati on Oct. 12.
> UConn is coming off of a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to No. 11 UCF on Sunday. The Huskies dominated the second half and led in shots 13-12 overall, but the Knights found a way to earn the victory at the beginning of extra time. UCF got on the board with two seconds remaining in the first half, but the Huskies bounced back and buried a penalty kick in the 80th minute to send the teams into extra time. The game was ultimately decided less than two minutes into the first overtime period when a failed clearance led to a UCF golden goal.
> Jordan Hall is credited with half of UConn's goals this season, notching nine goals and one assist for a team-leading 19 points on the year. The senior leads the conference in goals per game as he's scored a goal for all nine matches he has appeared in. Redshirt senior Dayonn Harris has also been a strong contributor to the Husky offense, dishing out a conference-leading nine assists and netting one goal for 11 points.
> Gianluca Catalano has defended the Huskies between the posts in 13 games this season, allowing 21 goals in 1195 minutes for a goals against average of 1.58. The sophomore's 36 saves rank second in the American, but his save percentage of .632 sits ninth overall.
The Series
> The Owls are on the hunt for their first-ever victory over the Huskies, as they've accumulated a 0-8-1 record since the teams first met at the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013. The lone tie came in their initial meeting back in 2013, when Temple earned a point against No. 24 UConn.
> It's been eight straight losses to the Huskies since, two of which came during AAC tournament play. Most recently, UConn defeated Temple 3-1 during the first round of the 2018 conference tournament after capturing a 2-1 regular season victory over the Owls on Oct. 20.
Last Time Out
> The Owls are on a hot streak coming off their biggest win of the season Tuesday night when they downed Louisville (RV), 2-1, in their final non-conference game of the season. Temple now has three-straight wins on the table and defeated two teams that appeared in the NCAA RPI top-25 within 10 days in No. 13 Louisville and No. 23 Memphis. The Temple offensive output was backed by two team captains during the victory, 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.
> 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 with new life that propelled them 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.
> After 30 minutes of scoreless play, Louisville equalized in the 75th minute when Cherif 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.
Scouting the Owls
> Temple is coached by Brian Rowland in his second year leading the program. So far this season, Rowland has led the Owls to a 6-6-1 overall record through an extremely challenging nonconference slate that has featured three top-15 teams and notable wins over Memphis and Louisville, both of whom received at least 40 votes in the latest national poll.
> Cayet's goal on Tuesday made him the ninth different Owl to score this season, illustrating how widespread the Temple offense is. Also, 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.
> Two Owls spearhead the Temple offense as Fernandes and Karani each have eight points on the season from three goals and two assists. Karani scored in two-straight games to help the Owls to back-to-back conference wins over Memphis and USF last week, and Fernandes notched the game-winner against Louisville with just four minutes left in regulation to keep the team's win-streak alive. The freshman-senior duo has proved to be threatening in the offensive third, helping the Owls find their spark that's led to seven goals in the last three games.
> Senior Simon Lefebvre has been phenomenal in net for Temple this season, notching 34 saves in 1205 minutes and allowing just 13 goals in as many games. His 0.97 goals against average and 13 goals allowed each rank second in the conference behind only No. 12 SMU, and the squad's three shutouts stand in a five-way tie for second as well. 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.
Scouting the Huskies
> UConn is coached by Ray Reid in his 23rd season at the helm of the program. So far this season, he's led the squad to a 4-9-1 overall record with a 1-3-0 tab in conference play. The Huskies started the season hot, scoring five goals in back-to-back wins over Rider and Rhode Island to open the season, and most recently picked up their lone conference victory in a 2-0 shutout over Cincinnati on Oct. 12.
> UConn is coming off of a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to No. 11 UCF on Sunday. The Huskies dominated the second half and led in shots 13-12 overall, but the Knights found a way to earn the victory at the beginning of extra time. UCF got on the board with two seconds remaining in the first half, but the Huskies bounced back and buried a penalty kick in the 80th minute to send the teams into extra time. The game was ultimately decided less than two minutes into the first overtime period when a failed clearance led to a UCF golden goal.
> Jordan Hall is credited with half of UConn's goals this season, notching nine goals and one assist for a team-leading 19 points on the year. The senior leads the conference in goals per game as he's scored a goal for all nine matches he has appeared in. Redshirt senior Dayonn Harris has also been a strong contributor to the Husky offense, dishing out a conference-leading nine assists and netting one goal for 11 points.
> Gianluca Catalano has defended the Huskies between the posts in 13 games this season, allowing 21 goals in 1195 minutes for a goals against average of 1.58. The sophomore's 36 saves rank second in the American, but his save percentage of .632 sits ninth overall.
The Series
> The Owls are on the hunt for their first-ever victory over the Huskies, as they've accumulated a 0-8-1 record since the teams first met at the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013. The lone tie came in their initial meeting back in 2013, when Temple earned a point against No. 24 UConn.
> It's been eight straight losses to the Huskies since, two of which came during AAC tournament play. Most recently, UConn defeated Temple 3-1 during the first round of the 2018 conference tournament after capturing a 2-1 regular season victory over the Owls on Oct. 20.
Players Mentioned
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