Temple University Athletics
Celebrating 100 Years of Temple Men's Soccer
8.20.26 | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA - For 100 years, Temple men's soccer has been more than a game.
It has been a tradition that has been passed down from one generation to the next. Teammates have become brothers, coaches became mentors, and hundreds of players have left their mark on a program that has continued to evolve. There have only been eight coaches to represent Temple men's soccer throughout its 100 years.
COACHING
A century ago, Temple men's soccer played their very first season in the Cherry and White, coached by James Neely. Neely coached the team from 1926 through the 1929 season recording an overall record of 14-3-3. He then turned over the reins to one of his own players, Pete Leaness. Not knowing that Leaness would go down as the longest tenured coach in Temple sports history.
Leaness would go on to amass a brilliant 245-97-36 record during his 41 years (1930-1970) leading the Owls. Produced 36 All-Americans during his coaching career. Coached Temple to national championships in 1951 and 1953. Led the Owls to the NCAA tournament three consecutive years (1966-68). Also, many of his players became pro stars and excellent coaches. During his entire tenure with the Owls, Leaness only had seven seasons in which his team had a below .500 win percentage. Due to his incredible and long-lasting success at Temple, Leaness was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971. He was also inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.Â
Another significant piece of Temple men's soccer history is when John Boles coached the team from 1974-1994. Boles, an All-America player and 21-year head men's soccer coach, was also a standout midfielder under Hall of Fame coach Pete Leaness from 1964 through 1966. John helped lead Temple to an incredible 43-6-1 record during his three years as a player. He earned honorable mention All-America honors in his first two seasons before being named first team NSCAA All-America as a senior. That season, John led the Owls to their first trip to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated West Virginia before falling to Michigan State. The team finished 13-2-1 with the 13 wins being a school-record at the time.
After serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons, first under Leaness and then the legendary Walter Bahr (1971-73), John took over as Temple's head coach in 1974. He proceeded to guide the Cherry and White to 13 ten-win seasons, including a record seven straight from 1974 through 1980. Three of his teams (1978, 1983, 1985) would set a still-standing school mark with 14 wins with two advancing to the NCAA Tournament. His 1976 and 1978 teams won NCAA first round games while the 1985 team lost a hard-fought 6-5 decision to Penn State in the opening round.
Inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985, John compiled an impressive 220-110-23 record in his two-plus decades at the helm. He coached six All-Americans (Enver Diker, Bill Sautter, George Lesyw, Jeff Kraft, Franklin Gbinije and Steffen Hausner) during his tenure. He also played professional soccer, competing for the Philadelphia Ukranians, Philadelphia Spartans and the Delaware Wings.Â
Hugh McInaw coached the team from 1995 through 1999 going 30-52-8. McInaw captured Philadelphia Soccer Seven Coach of the Year honors in 1997 after guiding the Owls to a 10-7-2 record and a City Series title. David MacWilliams led the program from 2000 through 2017 totaling a record of 140-162-34. MacWilliams had nine seasons with the Owls in which they were above .500. In 2015, MacWilliams led men's soccer to a record-breaking season where the Owls earned their first national ranking in 18 years. For his efforts in 2015, MacWilliams was named the Bill Harris Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Soccer Six and received the Excellence in Coaching Award from the EPYS for his contributions to youth soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania.Â
Brian Rowland then took over the program from 2018 through 2022 accumulating a record of 24-43-13. Which takes us to the present where Bryan Green enters his fourth year as head coach for the Owls. He had this to say about what it means to be coaching the 100th year of Temple men's soccer, "it's incredible to be a part of a program with such a rich history. Very few programs have been around as long as us and it's important that we honor everyone who has worn the Cherry and White." Green went on to add, "we talk a lot about what it means to wear the T on our jersey and how important it is to not just represent the T with pride, but to restore the glory of Temple soccer. This is our 100th anniversary, but we haven't just been around for 100 years, we've won 2 national championships and have had over 60 all-Americans. It's been a little while since we've had that success and that's our goal to bring the success back to Broad Street."
NOTABLE PLAYERS Â
A total of five Temple soccer players have represented the United States in the Olympics, George Nemchick (1936, Berlin), Ben McLaughlin (1948, London), Walt Bahr (1948, London), Jack Dunn (1952, Helsinki), and Len Oliver (1964, Tokyo). Since 2000, there have been 12 players that have moved on to have professional careers, many of whom are still active today. Some career leaders for Temple include goal scorer, Charlie Duccilli (1965-67), who scored 66 goals. His 132 points is also a program record. J.T. Noone (2006-09) leads the program in assists with 26. Jeff Kraft (1977-80) has made the most saves throughout the 100 years with 534, ranking him fifth in NCAA history. His goals-against-average of 0.85 is also a program record. Walter Chyzowych holds the record for the most goals in a season after notching an incredible 25 back in 1959.
POSTSEASON ACTION
1951 - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Soccer Bowl Temple 2, San Francisco 1Â
1953 - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Voted by ISFL/ISFA (9-0 record)Â
1966 - SWEET 16 Temple 4, West Virginia 0Â
          ELITE EIGHT Michigan State 3, Temple 1Â
1967 - SWEET 16 Akron 1, Temple 0Â
1968 - FIRST ROUND Temple 3, Delaware 2Â
           SWEET 16 West Chester 4, Temple 3Â
1973 - FIRST ROUND Penn 5, Temple 1Â
1976 - FIRST ROUND Temple 4, Bucknell 0Â
           SWEET 16 Philadelphia Textile 4, Temple 0Â
CENTURY MARK
Temple will start its 100th season and the 2026 campaign with a road matchup against Villanova on Thursday, Aug. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and can be found on ESPN+. The 'Cats currently lead the all-time series, 7-6-2. However, the Owls won the most recent matchup which was on Aug, 25, 2024, by a score of 3-2. There are 14 newcomers for the 2026 season, five of whom are freshmen. Head Coach Bryan Green has brought in two transfer goalkeepers, Jason Villalobos from Otterbein University and Gavin Atkinson from Grand Canyon University. They join returning goalkeeper Dylan Kaye as the Owls' last line of defense. There are 12 international players on the roster this season compared to nine from the previous year. Temple adds significant height to the roster with the additions of Aaron Sullivan and Carlos Rojas, who both stand at 6'6". Atkinson also comes in standing at 6'5", which he looks to use as an advantage when he is between the posts.Â
The Owls have 16 games on their slate this season. Half of them are against the rest of the teams that make up the American Conference. The non-conference opponents are Villanova, Delaware, Saint Joseph's, St. Peter's, Navy, Tulsa, FAU, Lafayette, and Monmouth. They have seven home games and nine away games, all home games will be played at the Temple Sports Complex. For complete coverage of Temple men's soccer, follow the Owls on social media @Temple_MSoc (X), facebook.com/TempleMSoccer/(Facebook), @temple_msoc (Instagram), or visit the official home of Temple University Athletics at owlsports.com. Please consider supporting Temple men's soccer with a donation by clicking here -> https://tinyurl.com/mrxpac9d.
It has been a tradition that has been passed down from one generation to the next. Teammates have become brothers, coaches became mentors, and hundreds of players have left their mark on a program that has continued to evolve. There have only been eight coaches to represent Temple men's soccer throughout its 100 years.
COACHING
A century ago, Temple men's soccer played their very first season in the Cherry and White, coached by James Neely. Neely coached the team from 1926 through the 1929 season recording an overall record of 14-3-3. He then turned over the reins to one of his own players, Pete Leaness. Not knowing that Leaness would go down as the longest tenured coach in Temple sports history.
Leaness would go on to amass a brilliant 245-97-36 record during his 41 years (1930-1970) leading the Owls. Produced 36 All-Americans during his coaching career. Coached Temple to national championships in 1951 and 1953. Led the Owls to the NCAA tournament three consecutive years (1966-68). Also, many of his players became pro stars and excellent coaches. During his entire tenure with the Owls, Leaness only had seven seasons in which his team had a below .500 win percentage. Due to his incredible and long-lasting success at Temple, Leaness was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971. He was also inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.Â
Another significant piece of Temple men's soccer history is when John Boles coached the team from 1974-1994. Boles, an All-America player and 21-year head men's soccer coach, was also a standout midfielder under Hall of Fame coach Pete Leaness from 1964 through 1966. John helped lead Temple to an incredible 43-6-1 record during his three years as a player. He earned honorable mention All-America honors in his first two seasons before being named first team NSCAA All-America as a senior. That season, John led the Owls to their first trip to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated West Virginia before falling to Michigan State. The team finished 13-2-1 with the 13 wins being a school-record at the time.
After serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons, first under Leaness and then the legendary Walter Bahr (1971-73), John took over as Temple's head coach in 1974. He proceeded to guide the Cherry and White to 13 ten-win seasons, including a record seven straight from 1974 through 1980. Three of his teams (1978, 1983, 1985) would set a still-standing school mark with 14 wins with two advancing to the NCAA Tournament. His 1976 and 1978 teams won NCAA first round games while the 1985 team lost a hard-fought 6-5 decision to Penn State in the opening round.
Inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985, John compiled an impressive 220-110-23 record in his two-plus decades at the helm. He coached six All-Americans (Enver Diker, Bill Sautter, George Lesyw, Jeff Kraft, Franklin Gbinije and Steffen Hausner) during his tenure. He also played professional soccer, competing for the Philadelphia Ukranians, Philadelphia Spartans and the Delaware Wings.Â
Hugh McInaw coached the team from 1995 through 1999 going 30-52-8. McInaw captured Philadelphia Soccer Seven Coach of the Year honors in 1997 after guiding the Owls to a 10-7-2 record and a City Series title. David MacWilliams led the program from 2000 through 2017 totaling a record of 140-162-34. MacWilliams had nine seasons with the Owls in which they were above .500. In 2015, MacWilliams led men's soccer to a record-breaking season where the Owls earned their first national ranking in 18 years. For his efforts in 2015, MacWilliams was named the Bill Harris Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Soccer Six and received the Excellence in Coaching Award from the EPYS for his contributions to youth soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania.Â
Brian Rowland then took over the program from 2018 through 2022 accumulating a record of 24-43-13. Which takes us to the present where Bryan Green enters his fourth year as head coach for the Owls. He had this to say about what it means to be coaching the 100th year of Temple men's soccer, "it's incredible to be a part of a program with such a rich history. Very few programs have been around as long as us and it's important that we honor everyone who has worn the Cherry and White." Green went on to add, "we talk a lot about what it means to wear the T on our jersey and how important it is to not just represent the T with pride, but to restore the glory of Temple soccer. This is our 100th anniversary, but we haven't just been around for 100 years, we've won 2 national championships and have had over 60 all-Americans. It's been a little while since we've had that success and that's our goal to bring the success back to Broad Street."
NOTABLE PLAYERS Â
A total of five Temple soccer players have represented the United States in the Olympics, George Nemchick (1936, Berlin), Ben McLaughlin (1948, London), Walt Bahr (1948, London), Jack Dunn (1952, Helsinki), and Len Oliver (1964, Tokyo). Since 2000, there have been 12 players that have moved on to have professional careers, many of whom are still active today. Some career leaders for Temple include goal scorer, Charlie Duccilli (1965-67), who scored 66 goals. His 132 points is also a program record. J.T. Noone (2006-09) leads the program in assists with 26. Jeff Kraft (1977-80) has made the most saves throughout the 100 years with 534, ranking him fifth in NCAA history. His goals-against-average of 0.85 is also a program record. Walter Chyzowych holds the record for the most goals in a season after notching an incredible 25 back in 1959.
POSTSEASON ACTION
1951 - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Soccer Bowl Temple 2, San Francisco 1Â
1953 - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Voted by ISFL/ISFA (9-0 record)Â
1966 - SWEET 16 Temple 4, West Virginia 0Â
          ELITE EIGHT Michigan State 3, Temple 1Â
1967 - SWEET 16 Akron 1, Temple 0Â
1968 - FIRST ROUND Temple 3, Delaware 2Â
           SWEET 16 West Chester 4, Temple 3Â
1973 - FIRST ROUND Penn 5, Temple 1Â
1976 - FIRST ROUND Temple 4, Bucknell 0Â
           SWEET 16 Philadelphia Textile 4, Temple 0Â
CENTURY MARK
Temple will start its 100th season and the 2026 campaign with a road matchup against Villanova on Thursday, Aug. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and can be found on ESPN+. The 'Cats currently lead the all-time series, 7-6-2. However, the Owls won the most recent matchup which was on Aug, 25, 2024, by a score of 3-2. There are 14 newcomers for the 2026 season, five of whom are freshmen. Head Coach Bryan Green has brought in two transfer goalkeepers, Jason Villalobos from Otterbein University and Gavin Atkinson from Grand Canyon University. They join returning goalkeeper Dylan Kaye as the Owls' last line of defense. There are 12 international players on the roster this season compared to nine from the previous year. Temple adds significant height to the roster with the additions of Aaron Sullivan and Carlos Rojas, who both stand at 6'6". Atkinson also comes in standing at 6'5", which he looks to use as an advantage when he is between the posts.Â
The Owls have 16 games on their slate this season. Half of them are against the rest of the teams that make up the American Conference. The non-conference opponents are Villanova, Delaware, Saint Joseph's, St. Peter's, Navy, Tulsa, FAU, Lafayette, and Monmouth. They have seven home games and nine away games, all home games will be played at the Temple Sports Complex. For complete coverage of Temple men's soccer, follow the Owls on social media @Temple_MSoc (X), facebook.com/TempleMSoccer/(Facebook), @temple_msoc (Instagram), or visit the official home of Temple University Athletics at owlsports.com. Please consider supporting Temple men's soccer with a donation by clicking here -> https://tinyurl.com/mrxpac9d.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerMonday, July 27
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Tuesday, June 02
Saturday, May 30
