Temple University Athletics
Greatness in the Making: 2019 Men's Soccer Season Recap
11.26.19 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA – In his second season at the helm of the program, head coach Brian Rowland and the 2019 Temple men's soccer team made strides of improvement through a culture transformation that has come to fruition since the start of last season. The team saw many glimpses of greatness in 2019, such as RPI rankings higher than ever before, upsets over national caliber opponents and the team's first-ever victory at the American Athletic Conference tournament, setting the tone for what's to come for the Cherry and White.
After undergoing a major roster transformation last season, the Owls shifted personnel once more with a group of 17 newcomers for the fall of 2019. 15 veteran returners backed the new talent and the group worked tirelessly in the offseason to mesh with a fresh, championship-focused mindset. With many new faces came much room for growth, and the Owls understood this with an extremely tough nonconference schedule on the horizon.
Temple opened the season 0-3 and was outscored 5-0 in its first three nonconference match-ups. After dropping a tightly contested 1-0 battle to Rutgers on a penalty kick in their season opener, the Owls hit the road to take on No. 13 Georgetown where they ultimately fell, 3-0. Later falling to Philly Soccer Six foe Villanova 1-0 on the road in a game they controlled, the Owls went back to the drawing board in an attempt to put the pieces together offensively.
A 3-0 shutout win over Lafayette lit the spark for the Temple offense mid-September with a brace by senior captain Lukas Fernandes and a first career goal by wingback sophomore Mickael Borger. Freshmen Amir Cohen and Sean Karani each dished out their first assists in Cherry and White and the backline of junior captain Pierre Cayet, sophomore Esteban Suarez, redshirt junior Brandon Johnson and Borger combined with senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre displayed their stability in their first shutout of the season.
Cohen found the back of the net for the first time in his career to hand the Owls a 1-0 win over Delaware, but the squad fell 1-0 to Penn a few days later despite dominating possession. The road ahead was just as challenging with multiple nationally ranked opponents slated for the remainder of the season. Temple dropped its conference opener 2-0 at No. 12 UCF, falling early to one of the American's toughest opponents. Despite holding a record of 2-5 at that point and only scoring four goals, this was just the second game the Cherry and White fell by more than a one goal margin—both of which came to top-15 teams—illustrating the brick-wall defensive unit the Owls possessed.
Working tirelessly to kickstart the offense, the Owls never backed down and were competitive in every contest. On Oct. 1, they broke through when senior Leandros Lillis notched a 90th-minute game winner to propel the team to a 1-0 win over ODU. This lit the fire for the Cherry and White, a group that went on to score 11 goals in the next seven games.
Johnson buried a header goal four days later to help the squad to a 1-1 draw against Cincinnati. With its toughest slew of games to come, the Cherry and White then hit the road to face No. 10 St. John's with just two nonconference games remaining. The Owls battled relentlessly against a team that had allowed just five goals in 11 games and held the Red Storm to just one shot on goal in 90 minutes, but ultimately fell to their third nationally ranked opponent of the season, 1-0. Despite leaving with a loss, Temple displayed its abilities on both ends of the ball to match up against the Johnnies with momentum clearly swinging in favor of the Owls.
With newfound confidence and consistency, Temple hit a turning point in its season with a 2-1 double overtime road win over conference-foe Memphis. The Owls snapped a six-game win streak held by the Tigers when Karani equalized and sophomore Elias Hellgren Villegas buried a the golden goal in the 106th minute to hand the squad their first AAC win of the season. Memphis was receiving votes in the national polls and sat 23rd in RPI at the time.
The Owls carried this momentum into a powerful 3-1 win over USF, backed by a brace by Karani and Suarez's first career goal from his left back position. Finding its niche on offense, Temple's defensive unit was continuing to shine as one of the best in the conference, allowing just 12 goals in as many games at the time.
It was evident that what the Owls were doing was special. The squad hit the road for its final nonconference test of the season, where they defeated ACC-foe Louisville to pick up their third-straight victory. At the time, the Cardinals were ranked 13th in RPI, making it the second top-25 RPI road win for the Owls in a 10-day span. The team captains backed the Temple offensive output as Cayet and Fernandes each buried a header goal in the first and last five minutes of the second half to propel the Owls to victory.
The Cherry and White returned to the Temple Sports Complex with conference play and a fourth-straight win on their minds. Having never beaten UConn before, Temple made history with a critical 2-1 win over the Huskies that clinched the Owls a spot in the AAC championship field. The team's first win over UConn in program history was backed by defensemen, as Borger and Cayet each found the back of the net in the big conference win. Wrapping up play for the month, Temple went 5-1-1 in October and outscored its opponents 11-6 in its most recent seven games. The squad then earned its highest regular season RPI ranking in program history, coming in at No. 34.
Hitting the road one last time for the regular season, Temple extended its unbeaten streak to five with a scoreless draw at Tulsa. The Owls then returned home to face one of their toughest opponents of the season, No. 11 SMU, for a Senior Night regular season finale. The squad battled one of the nation's top offenses relentlessly, but the AAC leading scorer found the back of the net with four minutes remaining in double overtime to hand the Owls their first loss in almost a month.
Tournament seeding was then set in stone and the Owls prepared to take on an extremely challenging Memphis team on the road for the second time this season. With everything on the line, the Owls looked to carry their October momentum into the post season to secure their first-ever AAC tournament win since the formation of the conference in 2013.
On Nov. 11, history was made for the Cherry and White when they persevered through a 1-0 deficit to stun the Tigers in double overtime and advance to the AAC semifinals for the first time in program history. After the Tigers struck first in the 24th minute, the Owls were resilient to find an equalizer and keep their season alive. Suarez was the hero when he buried his second goal of the season in the 89th minute to send the teams into overtime. After a scoreless 10 minutes, sophomore Jalen Campbell found the back of the net to rewrite history for the Cherry and White in a 2-1 victory.
The team advanced to the semifinals where they faced a fifth-ranked UCF team that had not lost since its season-opener against No. 4 Wake Forest back in August. The 2019 AAC regular season champions prevailed and ultimately earned the No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, and Temple's historic season came to an end.
The squad finished the year 8-8-2, notching three more tallies in the win column than last season. The Owls earned two wins over top-25 RPI opponents and finished the season ranked No. 39, the highest final RPI ranking in program history. Six teams on Temple's 2019 schedule earned a spot in the 2019 College Cup hunt, five of which are still in contention with the round of 16 to come. Three Owls earned All-Conference recognition in Fernandes, Cayet and Lefebvre, and Karani earned a spot on the All-Rookie squad.
Lefebvre finished the season with a goals against average of 1.16, allowing just 22 goals against in 18 games—five of which came in the semifinal lost to UCF. He notched 57 saves in 1703 minutes as one of the best keepers to ever defend the Owls between the posts, finishing his career ranked fifth all-time with a goals against average of 1.21.
Fernandes finished the year at the top of the score sheet for the Owls with 11 points from three goals and five assists. Karani trailed him by just two points, accumulating nine from three goals and three assists. The starting back line of Borger, Cayet, Johnson and Suarez was a formidable force for the Owls this season, combining for 20 of the Owls' 52 points and allowing just 11.6 shots per game.
Temple's historic second season under Rowland was cut short as the team just missed a shot at an at-large bid to the tournament, but the tenacity the Owls displayed through the back half of the season illustrates where the program is headed. The team now must say goodbye to seven seniors in Fernandes, Lillis, Lefebvre, Nick Sarver, Matt Trepanier, Corey Burkhardt and Ezer Browne, but has much to look forward to in years to come.
After undergoing a major roster transformation last season, the Owls shifted personnel once more with a group of 17 newcomers for the fall of 2019. 15 veteran returners backed the new talent and the group worked tirelessly in the offseason to mesh with a fresh, championship-focused mindset. With many new faces came much room for growth, and the Owls understood this with an extremely tough nonconference schedule on the horizon.
Temple opened the season 0-3 and was outscored 5-0 in its first three nonconference match-ups. After dropping a tightly contested 1-0 battle to Rutgers on a penalty kick in their season opener, the Owls hit the road to take on No. 13 Georgetown where they ultimately fell, 3-0. Later falling to Philly Soccer Six foe Villanova 1-0 on the road in a game they controlled, the Owls went back to the drawing board in an attempt to put the pieces together offensively.
A 3-0 shutout win over Lafayette lit the spark for the Temple offense mid-September with a brace by senior captain Lukas Fernandes and a first career goal by wingback sophomore Mickael Borger. Freshmen Amir Cohen and Sean Karani each dished out their first assists in Cherry and White and the backline of junior captain Pierre Cayet, sophomore Esteban Suarez, redshirt junior Brandon Johnson and Borger combined with senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre displayed their stability in their first shutout of the season.
Cohen found the back of the net for the first time in his career to hand the Owls a 1-0 win over Delaware, but the squad fell 1-0 to Penn a few days later despite dominating possession. The road ahead was just as challenging with multiple nationally ranked opponents slated for the remainder of the season. Temple dropped its conference opener 2-0 at No. 12 UCF, falling early to one of the American's toughest opponents. Despite holding a record of 2-5 at that point and only scoring four goals, this was just the second game the Cherry and White fell by more than a one goal margin—both of which came to top-15 teams—illustrating the brick-wall defensive unit the Owls possessed.
Working tirelessly to kickstart the offense, the Owls never backed down and were competitive in every contest. On Oct. 1, they broke through when senior Leandros Lillis notched a 90th-minute game winner to propel the team to a 1-0 win over ODU. This lit the fire for the Cherry and White, a group that went on to score 11 goals in the next seven games.
Johnson buried a header goal four days later to help the squad to a 1-1 draw against Cincinnati. With its toughest slew of games to come, the Cherry and White then hit the road to face No. 10 St. John's with just two nonconference games remaining. The Owls battled relentlessly against a team that had allowed just five goals in 11 games and held the Red Storm to just one shot on goal in 90 minutes, but ultimately fell to their third nationally ranked opponent of the season, 1-0. Despite leaving with a loss, Temple displayed its abilities on both ends of the ball to match up against the Johnnies with momentum clearly swinging in favor of the Owls.
With newfound confidence and consistency, Temple hit a turning point in its season with a 2-1 double overtime road win over conference-foe Memphis. The Owls snapped a six-game win streak held by the Tigers when Karani equalized and sophomore Elias Hellgren Villegas buried a the golden goal in the 106th minute to hand the squad their first AAC win of the season. Memphis was receiving votes in the national polls and sat 23rd in RPI at the time.
The Owls carried this momentum into a powerful 3-1 win over USF, backed by a brace by Karani and Suarez's first career goal from his left back position. Finding its niche on offense, Temple's defensive unit was continuing to shine as one of the best in the conference, allowing just 12 goals in as many games at the time.
It was evident that what the Owls were doing was special. The squad hit the road for its final nonconference test of the season, where they defeated ACC-foe Louisville to pick up their third-straight victory. At the time, the Cardinals were ranked 13th in RPI, making it the second top-25 RPI road win for the Owls in a 10-day span. The team captains backed the Temple offensive output as Cayet and Fernandes each buried a header goal in the first and last five minutes of the second half to propel the Owls to victory.
The Cherry and White returned to the Temple Sports Complex with conference play and a fourth-straight win on their minds. Having never beaten UConn before, Temple made history with a critical 2-1 win over the Huskies that clinched the Owls a spot in the AAC championship field. The team's first win over UConn in program history was backed by defensemen, as Borger and Cayet each found the back of the net in the big conference win. Wrapping up play for the month, Temple went 5-1-1 in October and outscored its opponents 11-6 in its most recent seven games. The squad then earned its highest regular season RPI ranking in program history, coming in at No. 34.
Hitting the road one last time for the regular season, Temple extended its unbeaten streak to five with a scoreless draw at Tulsa. The Owls then returned home to face one of their toughest opponents of the season, No. 11 SMU, for a Senior Night regular season finale. The squad battled one of the nation's top offenses relentlessly, but the AAC leading scorer found the back of the net with four minutes remaining in double overtime to hand the Owls their first loss in almost a month.
Tournament seeding was then set in stone and the Owls prepared to take on an extremely challenging Memphis team on the road for the second time this season. With everything on the line, the Owls looked to carry their October momentum into the post season to secure their first-ever AAC tournament win since the formation of the conference in 2013.
On Nov. 11, history was made for the Cherry and White when they persevered through a 1-0 deficit to stun the Tigers in double overtime and advance to the AAC semifinals for the first time in program history. After the Tigers struck first in the 24th minute, the Owls were resilient to find an equalizer and keep their season alive. Suarez was the hero when he buried his second goal of the season in the 89th minute to send the teams into overtime. After a scoreless 10 minutes, sophomore Jalen Campbell found the back of the net to rewrite history for the Cherry and White in a 2-1 victory.
The team advanced to the semifinals where they faced a fifth-ranked UCF team that had not lost since its season-opener against No. 4 Wake Forest back in August. The 2019 AAC regular season champions prevailed and ultimately earned the No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, and Temple's historic season came to an end.
The squad finished the year 8-8-2, notching three more tallies in the win column than last season. The Owls earned two wins over top-25 RPI opponents and finished the season ranked No. 39, the highest final RPI ranking in program history. Six teams on Temple's 2019 schedule earned a spot in the 2019 College Cup hunt, five of which are still in contention with the round of 16 to come. Three Owls earned All-Conference recognition in Fernandes, Cayet and Lefebvre, and Karani earned a spot on the All-Rookie squad.
Lefebvre finished the season with a goals against average of 1.16, allowing just 22 goals against in 18 games—five of which came in the semifinal lost to UCF. He notched 57 saves in 1703 minutes as one of the best keepers to ever defend the Owls between the posts, finishing his career ranked fifth all-time with a goals against average of 1.21.
Fernandes finished the year at the top of the score sheet for the Owls with 11 points from three goals and five assists. Karani trailed him by just two points, accumulating nine from three goals and three assists. The starting back line of Borger, Cayet, Johnson and Suarez was a formidable force for the Owls this season, combining for 20 of the Owls' 52 points and allowing just 11.6 shots per game.
Temple's historic second season under Rowland was cut short as the team just missed a shot at an at-large bid to the tournament, but the tenacity the Owls displayed through the back half of the season illustrates where the program is headed. The team now must say goodbye to seven seniors in Fernandes, Lillis, Lefebvre, Nick Sarver, Matt Trepanier, Corey Burkhardt and Ezer Browne, but has much to look forward to in years to come.
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