Men's Soccer Drops Season Opener to Rutgers, 1-0

Thursday, August 29

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM

Temple University

0-1

Rutgers

1-0

Rutgers

Temple

Men's Soccer Drops Season Opener to Rutgers, 1-0

8.29.19 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats

PHILADELPHIA – The Temple University men's soccer squad dropped a 1-0 decision to Rutgers on Thursday, Aug. 29 in their season opener. Despite controlling possession for much of the game, the Owls fell due to a second-half converted penalty kick under the lights at the Temple Sports Complex.

How it Happened
> The Owls came out strong from the initial whistle, controlling possession and pressing high on the Rutgers back line. The first opportunity of the game came in the sixth minute, when freshman Amir Cohen's first corner kick in Cherry and White was deterred by the Scarlet Knights.
> Rutgers shook off the rust in the 20th minute with an intense string of threatening offensive chances. Junior captain Pierre Cayet quickly displayed his defensive abilities, stepping up for the team and shutting down multiple opportunities in a five minute span. Cayet combined with the backline of Corey Burkhardt, Esteban Suarez and Mickael Borger all stepped up big to keep Rutgers out of their defensive third.
> One of the best first-half opportunities for the Owls came in the 41st minute when Leandros Lillis stepped behind the ball for a free kick right outside of the 18. The senior rocketed the ball on frame, but the shot was deflected and sent to the foot of sophomore Andres Charles. Charles shot the ball towards net, but was denied by a Rutgers defender.
> Temple closed out the first half with excitement as freshman Aly Camara used his blazing speed to earn a breakaway down the left flank. While in motion, Camara was brought down hard and rewarded a free kick. Charles stepped up to the opportunity, curling a strong shot right on target but missing frame by just inches.
> The Owls came out strong in the second half, earning the first opportunity off of a left-footed Sean Karani shot that whipped just wide. The Scarlet Knights quickly responded, pressing down the field to make their way into Temple's defensive third. Applying pressure on the sturdy Temple defense, Rutgers was able to earn a foul inside the 18 for a penalty kick. Rutgers freshman Jorgen Wisth Lie converted the kick, ultimately claiming the game-winning goal.
> Regardless of the scoreboard, the Owls battled relentlessly for the remainder of the game. Arguably one of the best opportunities of the game came in the 54th minute, when Cohen blasted a shot from 25 yards out that the Rutgers keeper barely got a handle of.
> The Scarlet Knight keeper denied another great opportunity for the Owls in the 87th minute, when sophomore Mickael Borger made a huge play on net. Creeping up from his defensive position, Borger sent the ball on frame but it was ultimately punched away, finalizing the score.

Game Notes
> Eight Owls played under the lights in Cherry and White tonight for the first time, with five newcomers earning their first starts.
> Temple's offensive pressure is shown on the box score tonight as the Owls had the shot advantage over the Scarlet Knights, 15-7, and corner kick advantage, 6-2.
> Senior Simon Lefebvre played all 90 minutes between the posts for the squad, earning his first two saves of the season.
> Following suit of last season, senior captain Lukas Fernandes led the team in shots on the day with five, three of which he put on target.

From the Coach
> "It's a tough result," said head coach Brian Rowland. "I thought that we really were the dominant team, and it was clear that we controlled the game and forced them into deep positions. Unfortunately we were unable to find enough break through's to create quality opportunities, and then we got pinched on a bad decision at the end to give away a PK, which was the difference in the game. I'm pleased in a lot of facets of the game, and now we look to learn and improve upon the result for Monday."

Up Next
> The Owls will have a quick turnaround as they head to Washington, D.C. to take on the Georgetown Hoyas on Monday, Sept. 2. The Labor Day game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.