Men's Soccer Blanks Lafayette 3-0 in Dominant First Win

Friday, September 13

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:30 PM

Temple University

1-3

Lafayette

3-2-1

LAFAYETT

Temple

Men's Soccer Blanks Lafayette 3-0 in Dominant First Win

9.13.19 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Temple men's soccer (1-3) secured its first win of 2019 in dominant fashion, blanking Lafayette (3-1-1) and handing the Leopards their first loss of the season on Friday night at the Temple Sports Complex. Senior captain Lukas Fernandes notched his first-ever collegiate brace and sophomore Mickael Borger scored his first goal in the Cherry and White to propel the Owls to victory.

How it Happened
> The offensive pressure was on for the Owls as they displayed their sly speed and quick transitions from the first whistle. Fernandes nearly helped put the squad on the board in the sixth minute of the game when he rocketed a cross to the far post. Freshman Sean Karani awaited the cross on his toes, but the Lafayette's keeper, Alex Sutton, leaped up to deny the first opportunity of the match.
> The Temple offense was firing on all cylinders Friday night. Fernandes was a key aspect of the attacking unit, firing eight shots, five on goal through the night. In the 21st minute, the senior sent a free kick on frame and it was blocked toward the boot of Esteban Suarez. Suarez sent a lofted cross on frame but Sutton denied the chance.
> The Owls' offensive pressure broke through the Leopards' defense in the 23rd minute. Amir Cohen sent a soaring free kick into the 18 that found the head of a well-positioned Borger. The sophomore headed it in for a memorable first collegiate goal and the Owls' first of the season.
> Less than two minutes later, Temple found the back of the net again to go up 2-0. Freshman Sean Karani used his speed to dart down the center and distribute the ball to Fernandes, who settled it in the box and knocked it past Sutton.
> Temple kept the heat on in the second half, challenging the Leopards in the attacking third. The Owls drew a foul in the box in the 60th minute, earning a penalty kick. Fernandes toed the line for Temple and converted the penalty to complete his brace and give the Owls a 3-0 lead.

Game Notes
> The Temple offense proved to be a force tonight, firing off 17 shots, 12 of which were on target.
> The back line of Pierre Cayet, Borger, Suarez and Brandon Johnson were stellar tonight, only allowing three shots through, two of which were on goal.
> Senior Simon Lefebvre notched two saves between the post to earn his first shutout of the season.
> The match was characterized by physical play by both teams, as they tallied 31 fouls and five yellow cards in 90 minutes of action.

From the Coach
> "I was ecstatic for the guys to finally get a well-earned win tonight," said head coach Brian Rowland. "They've been putting in a lot of hard work and it's great to see things start to come together. We look forward to building off this game as a foundation and getting back under the lights on our home turf Tuesday against Delaware."

Up Next
> Temple is back under the light at the Temple Sports Complex on Tuesday, Sept. 17 as the squad hosts the Delaware Blue Hens. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.