Temple University Athletics
Thursday, August 29
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 PM
Temple University
vs
Rutgers
Greatness is on the Horizon for 2019 Men's Soccer Team
8.27.19 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA –It's been 10 months to the day since the Temple men's soccer team laced up for an official game on their home turf at the Temple Sports Complex, and now only two days stand between the Owls and the start of the long-awaited 2019 season. Following a statement inaugural season for head coach Brian Rowland and a spring season that saw growth and maturity, the squad is ready to achieve new levels of greatness as they kick off the season on Thursday, Aug. 29 under the lights of the TSC at 7 p.m. against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
In his second season at the helm of the program, Rowland has worked tirelessly to transform the culture of the team into that of a championship program. With one year under his belt alongside Armante' Marshall and Kevin McMullen and the addition of Alex Shinsky in the spring, the Temple staff feels they have the pieces of the puzzle to achieve their goals.
"We have set some ambitious goals for the team this year," said Rowland. "We have the makings for a very good group, and our goal is to continue to grow and improve to compete for a championship at the end of the season. We found success in the fall and saw a vast amount of growth in the spring, so it will be exciting to see what this group can bring to the table once we get started."
In 2018, the Owls shined as a fresh program with a 17-man roster change and an entirely new coaching staff from the year prior. The squad displayed its abilities from the gate, as Rowland saw his first victory as head coach in a 1-0 overtime win over the nationally ranked Old Dominion Monarchs in early September. The young, talented group also dished out one of the biggest upsets of the year when they handed the nationally recognized UCF Knights one of just three losses on the season.
As Rowland continues to lead the program to new heights, the Cherry and White saw another 17-man roster transformation since the fall of 2018. The refurbished group features a contingent of impressive talent from all over the world and returns 14 key players from last season.
In its pool of returners, Temple brings back a handful of skilled players that carry leadership qualities and a great deal of maturity onto the pitch. Propelling off of a standout rookie season in Cherry and White, senior Simon Lefebvre will anchor the Owls between the posts and demonstrate his skill and experience in net. The back line will return a steady group of talent from last season, as junior Pierre Cayet and senior Nick Sarver will both return to captain the Owls defensively. The trio of Lefebvre, Cayet and Sarver helped get the Cherry and White get recognized as a defensive powerhouse after only falling by more than a one-goal deficit once in their 19-game season.
"We've had a great group return from the fall to bring experience that anchors what we are trying to do," said Rowland. "Pierre and Simon are critical pieces in the back for us, as they bring a leadership element that has really helped the team since the start of last season."
In front of the steady back line, Temple returns its young talent in the midfield that saw a great deal of success in 2018 and adds a year of experience to the mix. Both AAC All-Rookie selections will be back to spearhead the central midfield, as sophomores Jalen Campbell and Andres Charles will be crucial down the spine for the Owls. Senior Leandros Lillis also brings sly footwork to the table that helps settle the game for the squad in the midfield as he returns for his final season in Cherry and White.
Senior captain Lukas Fernandes will be back as a vital threat up top for the Owls. The 2018 All-AAC and 2019 preseason All-AAC selection led the squad in goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, points and game-winning goals a year ago, and will look to dominate the pitch once more in his final season in Cherry and White. Alongside Fernandes, the Owls return with depth in the front-line as sophomore Elias Hellgren Villegas and junior Justin Hahn both bring strong goal-scoring abilities to the mix after seeing time last season.
"Andres and Jalen are both playing beyond their years in the middle for us, and have grown significantly after getting a lot of minutes since they began last year. Lukas has been a guy that certainly knows how to score and comes as a threat up top. As a unit, these guys down the middle have gone through a full season together and followed up with a successful spring, which should really help them work together this fall."
Adding to the team's talented core, the squad brought in six mid-years in January that have had the opportunity to transition and learn the Owls' playing style over the past few months. Additionally, 11 players came in this fall that have already proven themselves as critical pieces to the Temple men's soccer puzzle.
"The spring saw the addition of Esteban Suarez and Mickael Borger as two outside backs that have already had the chance to transition through our program. As true newcomers, both Sean Karani and Aly Camara are guys that we expect to compete for minutes up top and bring a different element to our attack. Lior Nesher gives us maturity as a versatile central midfielder and Paul Frendach has come off of a national championship with Maryland and brings many qualities that will make our team better. We are really excited about the whole group that has come in, as each of them have already shown some really great moments."
As the personnel and culture of the team transforms, Temple prepares to size up some of the nation's top opponents and continue making its mark on a larger scale. This year's 16-game schedule includes nine challenging non-conference opponents to prepare the Owls for their perennially tough American Athletic Conference foes.
Temple will face five teams that were recognized in the preseason national polls in No. 13 Georgetown, No. 14 Louisville, No. 15 UCF, RV (38) UConn and RV (9) SMU. All five teams qualified for the College Cup in 2018. To kick off the 2019 season, the Owls prepare to face Big 10 opponent Rutgers at home on Thursday, August 29 at 7 p.m.
"The Rutgers game should be a really fun atmosphere to get us started out the gate against a Big 10 team," said Rowland. "We always look at our next game as our most important, but we do have some really exciting games to come this season. We have some fantastic rivalries to come out of the AAC alone with the conference being as strong as it is, and playing perennial Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four teams like Georgetown and Louisville will be a great test."
As the Owls prepare for the thrilling challenges ahead, they have adopted the true Temple meaning of the word "greatness" to continue to work towards their goals each day.
"We break all of our huddles with one word: Greatness. That's our goal—to be great in all areas. To bring 100 percent in the classroom, on the field, in our social interactions and in our team building. To strive to be the best we can be in all areas every single day. Winning a championship is every team's goal, but you have to live like a champion every day in order to be great."
In his second season at the helm of the program, Rowland has worked tirelessly to transform the culture of the team into that of a championship program. With one year under his belt alongside Armante' Marshall and Kevin McMullen and the addition of Alex Shinsky in the spring, the Temple staff feels they have the pieces of the puzzle to achieve their goals.
"We have set some ambitious goals for the team this year," said Rowland. "We have the makings for a very good group, and our goal is to continue to grow and improve to compete for a championship at the end of the season. We found success in the fall and saw a vast amount of growth in the spring, so it will be exciting to see what this group can bring to the table once we get started."
In 2018, the Owls shined as a fresh program with a 17-man roster change and an entirely new coaching staff from the year prior. The squad displayed its abilities from the gate, as Rowland saw his first victory as head coach in a 1-0 overtime win over the nationally ranked Old Dominion Monarchs in early September. The young, talented group also dished out one of the biggest upsets of the year when they handed the nationally recognized UCF Knights one of just three losses on the season.
As Rowland continues to lead the program to new heights, the Cherry and White saw another 17-man roster transformation since the fall of 2018. The refurbished group features a contingent of impressive talent from all over the world and returns 14 key players from last season.
In its pool of returners, Temple brings back a handful of skilled players that carry leadership qualities and a great deal of maturity onto the pitch. Propelling off of a standout rookie season in Cherry and White, senior Simon Lefebvre will anchor the Owls between the posts and demonstrate his skill and experience in net. The back line will return a steady group of talent from last season, as junior Pierre Cayet and senior Nick Sarver will both return to captain the Owls defensively. The trio of Lefebvre, Cayet and Sarver helped get the Cherry and White get recognized as a defensive powerhouse after only falling by more than a one-goal deficit once in their 19-game season.
"We've had a great group return from the fall to bring experience that anchors what we are trying to do," said Rowland. "Pierre and Simon are critical pieces in the back for us, as they bring a leadership element that has really helped the team since the start of last season."
In front of the steady back line, Temple returns its young talent in the midfield that saw a great deal of success in 2018 and adds a year of experience to the mix. Both AAC All-Rookie selections will be back to spearhead the central midfield, as sophomores Jalen Campbell and Andres Charles will be crucial down the spine for the Owls. Senior Leandros Lillis also brings sly footwork to the table that helps settle the game for the squad in the midfield as he returns for his final season in Cherry and White.
Senior captain Lukas Fernandes will be back as a vital threat up top for the Owls. The 2018 All-AAC and 2019 preseason All-AAC selection led the squad in goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, points and game-winning goals a year ago, and will look to dominate the pitch once more in his final season in Cherry and White. Alongside Fernandes, the Owls return with depth in the front-line as sophomore Elias Hellgren Villegas and junior Justin Hahn both bring strong goal-scoring abilities to the mix after seeing time last season.
"Andres and Jalen are both playing beyond their years in the middle for us, and have grown significantly after getting a lot of minutes since they began last year. Lukas has been a guy that certainly knows how to score and comes as a threat up top. As a unit, these guys down the middle have gone through a full season together and followed up with a successful spring, which should really help them work together this fall."
Adding to the team's talented core, the squad brought in six mid-years in January that have had the opportunity to transition and learn the Owls' playing style over the past few months. Additionally, 11 players came in this fall that have already proven themselves as critical pieces to the Temple men's soccer puzzle.
"The spring saw the addition of Esteban Suarez and Mickael Borger as two outside backs that have already had the chance to transition through our program. As true newcomers, both Sean Karani and Aly Camara are guys that we expect to compete for minutes up top and bring a different element to our attack. Lior Nesher gives us maturity as a versatile central midfielder and Paul Frendach has come off of a national championship with Maryland and brings many qualities that will make our team better. We are really excited about the whole group that has come in, as each of them have already shown some really great moments."
As the personnel and culture of the team transforms, Temple prepares to size up some of the nation's top opponents and continue making its mark on a larger scale. This year's 16-game schedule includes nine challenging non-conference opponents to prepare the Owls for their perennially tough American Athletic Conference foes.
Temple will face five teams that were recognized in the preseason national polls in No. 13 Georgetown, No. 14 Louisville, No. 15 UCF, RV (38) UConn and RV (9) SMU. All five teams qualified for the College Cup in 2018. To kick off the 2019 season, the Owls prepare to face Big 10 opponent Rutgers at home on Thursday, August 29 at 7 p.m.
"The Rutgers game should be a really fun atmosphere to get us started out the gate against a Big 10 team," said Rowland. "We always look at our next game as our most important, but we do have some really exciting games to come this season. We have some fantastic rivalries to come out of the AAC alone with the conference being as strong as it is, and playing perennial Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four teams like Georgetown and Louisville will be a great test."
As the Owls prepare for the thrilling challenges ahead, they have adopted the true Temple meaning of the word "greatness" to continue to work towards their goals each day.
"We break all of our huddles with one word: Greatness. That's our goal—to be great in all areas. To bring 100 percent in the classroom, on the field, in our social interactions and in our team building. To strive to be the best we can be in all areas every single day. Winning a championship is every team's goal, but you have to live like a champion every day in order to be great."
Players Mentioned
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