Temple University Athletics
Friday, September 27
Orlando, Fla.
7:00 PM
Temple University
at
No. 12 UCF
Conference Play is on the Horizon as Men's Soccer Faces No. 12 UCF Friday
9.25.19 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA – The long-awaited debut of American Athletic Conference play is knocking at the door for the Temple men's soccer team as the squad heads to Orlando, Fla. to take on the No. 12 UCF Knights on Friday, Sept. 27. The Owls look for a repeat of last year when they dished the nationally recognized Knights one of just two regular season losses on the year in the 2018 conference-opening match-up.
Last Time Out
> Temple is coming off of a 1-0 loss to the Penn Quakers last Saturday that snapped the Owls' two-game win streak and handed them their fourth loss of the season. The Cherry and White came out strong against their Philly Soccer Six opponent, but an early second-half goal was enough to hand Penn the victory.
> Temple opened the match strong with consistent control of possession in Penn's defensive third. Despite the high pressure, the Owls were unable to generate a truly threatening opportunity until the 21st minute when sophomore Mickael Borger sent a low-driven shot just left of frame. A common theme throughout the first half, the scoring opportunity was set up by momentum build from the back line to a slew of one-touch passes between the Temple midfield.
> The Owls nearly took the first-half lead in the 34th minute when freshman Sean Karani was tripped up on a breakaway to halt a Temple counter attack. Esteban Suarez got behind the ball for the central free kick, lofting a ball into the six yard box and finding the head of a charging Borger. The sophomore defender headed the ball into the back of the net, but was ultimately called offsides.
> Despite the Owls dominating possession, Penn capitalized on one of its first chances of the game in the 54th minute. With both teams scrambling in Temple's goal box, junior Joey Bhangdia slipped a right-footed cross towards frame that trickled through the action and rolled into the left pocket of net.
About the Owls
> Temple is coached by Brian Rowland in his second season on North Broad. Since joining the Cherry and White at the helm of the program, Rowland has transformed the level of play and shifted the focus to greatness as the Owls strive to reach new heights.
> Temple has accumulated a 2-4 record in a challenging nonconference slate to open up the 2019 season. The Owls kicked off the year with a 0-1 loss to now No. 22 Rutgers after second-half converted penalty kick by the Scarlet Knights. They then went to D.C., where they matched now No. 2 Georgetown in possession most of the game but ultimately fell, 0-3. After dropping a 0-1 decision to Villanova, the Owls posted back-to-back home wins over Lafayette and Delaware where they netted four goals and earned their first two shutouts of the season. Most recently, the squad fell to Penn, 0-1.
> The Temple offense has been striving to find its niche but has struggled to connect the final pass to find the back of the net. Regardless, the Owls have dominated possession consistently against their opponents and have outshot their competitors 89-43 so far this season, also demonstrating the strength of the Cherry and White defense. Their four goals have come from three different players, as senior captain Lukas Fernandes leads the team with a pair of goals and freshman Amir Cohen and Borger have each notched one.
> The Owls currently sit third in the conference in goals against as senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre has only allowed six shots to slip past him this season. Lefebvre also ranks third in the American in goals against average (1.00) after 540:00 minutes between the posts in six games played. Protecting Lefebvre in the back line has been Suarez, Pierre Cayet, Borger and Brandon Johnson, each playing a large role in Temple's two shutouts and small-deficit losses.
About the Knights
> The Knights are led by head coach Scott Calabrese in his third year heading the program. Last year, Calabrese and his staff earned AAC Coaching Staff of the Year nods after winning the conference regular season title with a 5-1-1 record, the lone loss coming from the Owls. In 2018, the record-breaking Knights fell in the round of 32 during the College Cup after producing the Offensive, Midfielder and Goalkeeper of the Year for the AAC as well as seven All-Conference, five All-Region and two All-American selections.
> After being unanimously selected to win the American and picked 15th in the nation during preseason, the Knights are off to another strong start in 2019. So far this season, they have accumulated a 5-1-1 record in nonconference play with the loss coming from then No. 4 Wake Forest. Since then, UCF has posted notable wins as it downed then No. 6 North Carolina 2-1 and topped RV FGCU, 4-1. Most recently, the Knights defeated the University of South Carolina 2-0 at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex last Sunday.
> All-American Cal Jennings has picked up just where he left off last season, leading the powerful UCF offense with eight goals and one assist for 17 points. Six other Knights have notched goals this season, with Gino Vivi and Gianluca Arcangeli scoring two apiece and Yoni Sorokin, Louis Perez, Andres Hernandez and Jeremy Di Lallo each finding the back of the net once.
> Yannik Oettl has defended UCF between the posts for 670 minutes in seven games played this season. The 2018 AAC Goalkeeper of the Year has conceded eight goals this season for a goals against average of 1.07. The junior has also saved 19 shots fired his way that led him to two shutouts and a current record of 5-1-1.
Match-Up Made in Heaven
> Since the squads first met at the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013, they've established a perfect .500 record against each other at 2-2-2. They opened the series with back-to-back draws before UCF captured their first victory over Temple in 2015. The Owls and the Knights have gone back and forth each year since, with the Owls capturing the most recent victory in 2018.
Challenge Accepted
> The Owls have faced a contingent of the nation's top teams so far this season and will continue to be tested against perennially strong opponents for the remainder of the year. No. 12 UCF will be the second nationally ranked team they faced this season after falling to now No. 2 Georgetown (then No. 13) 3-0 earlier in September. In total, nine teams on Temple's schedule have appeared in the national polls this season.
> Many teams that appeared in week four's top-25 are familiar opponents for Temple, in No. 2 Georgetown (L, 0-3), No. 8 SMU (play 11/5), No. 9 St. John's (play 10/8), No. 12 UCF (play 9/27), No. 17 Louisville (play 10/22) and No. 22 Rutgers (L, 0-1).
Last Time Out
> Temple is coming off of a 1-0 loss to the Penn Quakers last Saturday that snapped the Owls' two-game win streak and handed them their fourth loss of the season. The Cherry and White came out strong against their Philly Soccer Six opponent, but an early second-half goal was enough to hand Penn the victory.
> Temple opened the match strong with consistent control of possession in Penn's defensive third. Despite the high pressure, the Owls were unable to generate a truly threatening opportunity until the 21st minute when sophomore Mickael Borger sent a low-driven shot just left of frame. A common theme throughout the first half, the scoring opportunity was set up by momentum build from the back line to a slew of one-touch passes between the Temple midfield.
> The Owls nearly took the first-half lead in the 34th minute when freshman Sean Karani was tripped up on a breakaway to halt a Temple counter attack. Esteban Suarez got behind the ball for the central free kick, lofting a ball into the six yard box and finding the head of a charging Borger. The sophomore defender headed the ball into the back of the net, but was ultimately called offsides.
> Despite the Owls dominating possession, Penn capitalized on one of its first chances of the game in the 54th minute. With both teams scrambling in Temple's goal box, junior Joey Bhangdia slipped a right-footed cross towards frame that trickled through the action and rolled into the left pocket of net.
About the Owls
> Temple is coached by Brian Rowland in his second season on North Broad. Since joining the Cherry and White at the helm of the program, Rowland has transformed the level of play and shifted the focus to greatness as the Owls strive to reach new heights.
> Temple has accumulated a 2-4 record in a challenging nonconference slate to open up the 2019 season. The Owls kicked off the year with a 0-1 loss to now No. 22 Rutgers after second-half converted penalty kick by the Scarlet Knights. They then went to D.C., where they matched now No. 2 Georgetown in possession most of the game but ultimately fell, 0-3. After dropping a 0-1 decision to Villanova, the Owls posted back-to-back home wins over Lafayette and Delaware where they netted four goals and earned their first two shutouts of the season. Most recently, the squad fell to Penn, 0-1.
> The Temple offense has been striving to find its niche but has struggled to connect the final pass to find the back of the net. Regardless, the Owls have dominated possession consistently against their opponents and have outshot their competitors 89-43 so far this season, also demonstrating the strength of the Cherry and White defense. Their four goals have come from three different players, as senior captain Lukas Fernandes leads the team with a pair of goals and freshman Amir Cohen and Borger have each notched one.
> The Owls currently sit third in the conference in goals against as senior goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre has only allowed six shots to slip past him this season. Lefebvre also ranks third in the American in goals against average (1.00) after 540:00 minutes between the posts in six games played. Protecting Lefebvre in the back line has been Suarez, Pierre Cayet, Borger and Brandon Johnson, each playing a large role in Temple's two shutouts and small-deficit losses.
About the Knights
> The Knights are led by head coach Scott Calabrese in his third year heading the program. Last year, Calabrese and his staff earned AAC Coaching Staff of the Year nods after winning the conference regular season title with a 5-1-1 record, the lone loss coming from the Owls. In 2018, the record-breaking Knights fell in the round of 32 during the College Cup after producing the Offensive, Midfielder and Goalkeeper of the Year for the AAC as well as seven All-Conference, five All-Region and two All-American selections.
> After being unanimously selected to win the American and picked 15th in the nation during preseason, the Knights are off to another strong start in 2019. So far this season, they have accumulated a 5-1-1 record in nonconference play with the loss coming from then No. 4 Wake Forest. Since then, UCF has posted notable wins as it downed then No. 6 North Carolina 2-1 and topped RV FGCU, 4-1. Most recently, the Knights defeated the University of South Carolina 2-0 at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex last Sunday.
> All-American Cal Jennings has picked up just where he left off last season, leading the powerful UCF offense with eight goals and one assist for 17 points. Six other Knights have notched goals this season, with Gino Vivi and Gianluca Arcangeli scoring two apiece and Yoni Sorokin, Louis Perez, Andres Hernandez and Jeremy Di Lallo each finding the back of the net once.
> Yannik Oettl has defended UCF between the posts for 670 minutes in seven games played this season. The 2018 AAC Goalkeeper of the Year has conceded eight goals this season for a goals against average of 1.07. The junior has also saved 19 shots fired his way that led him to two shutouts and a current record of 5-1-1.
Match-Up Made in Heaven
> Since the squads first met at the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013, they've established a perfect .500 record against each other at 2-2-2. They opened the series with back-to-back draws before UCF captured their first victory over Temple in 2015. The Owls and the Knights have gone back and forth each year since, with the Owls capturing the most recent victory in 2018.
Challenge Accepted
> The Owls have faced a contingent of the nation's top teams so far this season and will continue to be tested against perennially strong opponents for the remainder of the year. No. 12 UCF will be the second nationally ranked team they faced this season after falling to now No. 2 Georgetown (then No. 13) 3-0 earlier in September. In total, nine teams on Temple's schedule have appeared in the national polls this season.
> Many teams that appeared in week four's top-25 are familiar opponents for Temple, in No. 2 Georgetown (L, 0-3), No. 8 SMU (play 11/5), No. 9 St. John's (play 10/8), No. 12 UCF (play 9/27), No. 17 Louisville (play 10/22) and No. 22 Rutgers (L, 0-1).
Players Mentioned
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