Temple University Athletics
Winning Mentality Propels Men's Soccer to Undefeated Spring Season
5.3.19 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA – Following its debut fall season under head coach Brian Rowland, the Temple men's soccer team went into the 2019 spring season with elevated standards. The squad surpassed expectations during a spring season that featured an undefeated slate, a vast amount of growth and a slew of new players to propel them into the 2019 fall season with a newfound winning mentality.
"It was a very good spring season for us," said Rowland. "When you bring in 17 new players in the fall, there's not always time to work on what you need to shape the team before the season starts. Playing 18 games with 12 on the road made it challenging to establish some of the details that we were really able to emphasize this spring. Over the past few months, we were able to further develop our style and create a solid framework that will help the players joining us this fall transition more seamlessly."
The squad was exceptional in its first year under Rowland, using a talented new coaching staff and a roster that returned just 12 players from 2018 to help rebuild the program. In a 5-10-4 year, the team got its first win of the season over No. 25 ODU with a man-down, overtime goal. Later in the year, they upset conference-foe UCF, shutting out one of the nation's top-offenses and dishing the Knights one of just two losses all season. Concluding the regular season without losing a game by more than one goal, the Owls qualified for the AAC tournament for the third time in four years. While Temple landed three on post-season conference awards lists and had many moments of greatness over the course of the season, the squad struggled at times to put the ball in the back of the net and capitalize on winning opportunities.
"After the fall, one of the big goals we wanted to accomplish was to develop a winning culture. We looked at different strategies and ideas to implement through our training to utilize on and off the field. This foundation was laid in January as soon as the guys got back, and I think we made strides during the spring. We focused on team-driven goals and increased possession, and it showed as the spring moved along."
This newly established winning culture shone through over the course of the spring season. The Owls opened their challenging spring slate with a 2-1 win over Penn State, courtesy of a brace from Jalen Campbell. After a three week hiatus from games, the Owls came out of a home double-header undefeated. The squad downed American, 3-0, with goals from Campbell, Elias Hellgren Villegas and Amir Cohen. Later in the day, they defeated La Salle, 2-0, with goals from Campbell and Hellgren Villegas. In their final home game of the spring season, the Owls downed George Mason, 5-3, backed by a hat trick from Hellgren Villegas and goals from Lukas Fernandes and Leandros Lillis. After a scoreless draw against Loyola Md., Temple finished its spring season with a 1-0 victory over Drexel, thanks to Campbell's fifth goal of the spring season. While all of the games illustrated the Owls' strides of improvement, a game that stood out to Rowland was the 5-3 victory over George Mason.
"I was extremely impressed with our composure during the game against George Mason," said Rowland. "We played exceptionally well, but when we went down a goal against the runt of play in the first few minutes, the guys were resilient. They didn't panic and stuck to the game plan, showing me that their confidence is continuing to grow and they had it under control. They were confident and comfortable doing what they knew how to do, and it showed when we had a fantastic game that day."
In the spring, the Owls returned a core 18 players from the fall roster, but also added six mid-years to help bring their talent to new heights. Within the group, multiple players stepped up to help the team continue to strive for greatness.
"I think that Lukas and Nick really stepped up in their respective leadership roles," Rowland explained. "Losing Hermann, who had been the main leader for us for the past few years, left big shoes to fill, and I thought those guys did a really good job. Pierre Cayet is growing as a leader as well and certainly is a very big contributor on the field. Jalen had a great spring, and scoring five goals from a midfield position is pretty impressive. Elias is another who had a great spring and is really starting to get into the swing of things. In addition, Mickael, Esteban and Amir showed a lot of quality along with the rest of the new guys. Andres is still a freshman and is really starting to play well beyond his years. From top to bottom it was a great spring, and a lot of the guys have shown growth and maturity along the way."
As the spring season comes to an end and the coaches reflect on the last year, there is a lot to be excited about regarding the future of Temple men's soccer.
"We are looking forward to a really challenging fall schedule, and I think we're ready for the challenge," said Rowland. "We're really excited to add some of the new key additions to the team, and it should be an exciting preseason. In comparison to last year, we are so much further along and have a foundation set. We're a very young team with a lot of show, and we are extremely exciting to get everyone back in August."
"It was a very good spring season for us," said Rowland. "When you bring in 17 new players in the fall, there's not always time to work on what you need to shape the team before the season starts. Playing 18 games with 12 on the road made it challenging to establish some of the details that we were really able to emphasize this spring. Over the past few months, we were able to further develop our style and create a solid framework that will help the players joining us this fall transition more seamlessly."
The squad was exceptional in its first year under Rowland, using a talented new coaching staff and a roster that returned just 12 players from 2018 to help rebuild the program. In a 5-10-4 year, the team got its first win of the season over No. 25 ODU with a man-down, overtime goal. Later in the year, they upset conference-foe UCF, shutting out one of the nation's top-offenses and dishing the Knights one of just two losses all season. Concluding the regular season without losing a game by more than one goal, the Owls qualified for the AAC tournament for the third time in four years. While Temple landed three on post-season conference awards lists and had many moments of greatness over the course of the season, the squad struggled at times to put the ball in the back of the net and capitalize on winning opportunities.
"After the fall, one of the big goals we wanted to accomplish was to develop a winning culture. We looked at different strategies and ideas to implement through our training to utilize on and off the field. This foundation was laid in January as soon as the guys got back, and I think we made strides during the spring. We focused on team-driven goals and increased possession, and it showed as the spring moved along."
This newly established winning culture shone through over the course of the spring season. The Owls opened their challenging spring slate with a 2-1 win over Penn State, courtesy of a brace from Jalen Campbell. After a three week hiatus from games, the Owls came out of a home double-header undefeated. The squad downed American, 3-0, with goals from Campbell, Elias Hellgren Villegas and Amir Cohen. Later in the day, they defeated La Salle, 2-0, with goals from Campbell and Hellgren Villegas. In their final home game of the spring season, the Owls downed George Mason, 5-3, backed by a hat trick from Hellgren Villegas and goals from Lukas Fernandes and Leandros Lillis. After a scoreless draw against Loyola Md., Temple finished its spring season with a 1-0 victory over Drexel, thanks to Campbell's fifth goal of the spring season. While all of the games illustrated the Owls' strides of improvement, a game that stood out to Rowland was the 5-3 victory over George Mason.
"I was extremely impressed with our composure during the game against George Mason," said Rowland. "We played exceptionally well, but when we went down a goal against the runt of play in the first few minutes, the guys were resilient. They didn't panic and stuck to the game plan, showing me that their confidence is continuing to grow and they had it under control. They were confident and comfortable doing what they knew how to do, and it showed when we had a fantastic game that day."
In the spring, the Owls returned a core 18 players from the fall roster, but also added six mid-years to help bring their talent to new heights. Within the group, multiple players stepped up to help the team continue to strive for greatness.
"I think that Lukas and Nick really stepped up in their respective leadership roles," Rowland explained. "Losing Hermann, who had been the main leader for us for the past few years, left big shoes to fill, and I thought those guys did a really good job. Pierre Cayet is growing as a leader as well and certainly is a very big contributor on the field. Jalen had a great spring, and scoring five goals from a midfield position is pretty impressive. Elias is another who had a great spring and is really starting to get into the swing of things. In addition, Mickael, Esteban and Amir showed a lot of quality along with the rest of the new guys. Andres is still a freshman and is really starting to play well beyond his years. From top to bottom it was a great spring, and a lot of the guys have shown growth and maturity along the way."
As the spring season comes to an end and the coaches reflect on the last year, there is a lot to be excited about regarding the future of Temple men's soccer.
"We are looking forward to a really challenging fall schedule, and I think we're ready for the challenge," said Rowland. "We're really excited to add some of the new key additions to the team, and it should be an exciting preseason. In comparison to last year, we are so much further along and have a foundation set. We're a very young team with a lot of show, and we are extremely exciting to get everyone back in August."
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