Men’s Soccer Triumphs Over Saint Peter’s, 3-1

Tuesday, September 13

Philadelphia, PA

7:00 PM

Temple University

2-2-2, 0-0-0

Saint Peter's

1-3-1, 0-0-0

Saint Peter's

Temple

Men’s Soccer Triumphs Over Saint Peter’s, 3-1

9.13.22 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Temple men's soccer (2-2-2, 0-0-0 AAC) had a dominant showing over Saint Peter's (1-3-1, 0-0-0 MAAC) on Tuesday evening, downing the Peacocks, 3-1. A two-goal performance from freshman Sawyer Koza was enough to hold off the visiting Peacocks and propel the Cherry and White to victory.

How it Happened

The Owls opened the match with intensity, controlling the pace of play right out of the gate. Sean Karani kickstarted an offensive run for the Owls in the ninth minute, sending a ball to Mike Eijgendaal on the right side of the box. Eijgendaal crossed the ball in, finding Koza for for the Owls go-ahead goal.
The Cherry and White continued to push the pace, extending their lead to two just under ten minutes later. Luka Kozomara made a run down the right wing, sending a cross into a streaking Karani for the tap-in.
Saint Peter's looked to answer back, but the Owl defense held strong, ending the half with a two-goal advantage.
The Peacocks persisted, finding a goal of their own in the 57^th minute of play, as Teodor Linn found the back of the net to close in on the Owl lead.
Just two minutes later, Koza struck again, sending a rocket from outside the box towards the goal. Saint Peter's keeper Guillem Badenes Mecho leaped for the save, but it wouldn't be enough to make the stop, advancing the Owls lead to two and ending in a 3-1 Temple victory.

Game Notes

Mike Eijgendaal racked up two assists. He leads the Owls with five total.
This was Karani's third straight game with a point. He assisted in the last two matches.
Koza's goals were the first two of his career. He is the first Owl to score a brace since Karani in April 2021 against No. 23 Tulsa.
Lucas Hitters saw the first action of his career. Daniel Moya and Jimi Leder saw their first action of the season.
Five cards were pulled in the match. Two on Temple and three on Saint Peter's. Fridtjof Andberg was given a red in the 25^th minute.

From the Coach
"I thought it was a great overall team effort tonight," head coach Brian Rowland said. "We open conference play on Saturday, and we want to capture this momentum. First things first, we want to get our bodies recovered. We know UCF well and they are a very competitive team. I think we're prepared to make things difficult for them, just as they are prepared to do the same to us, but we're extremely excited to go into the match with a win."

Up Next
The Owls will open conference play on Saturday, Sept. 17, as they host UCF at the Temple Sports Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.