Men’s soccer breaks 3-game scoring drought

Sophomore forward Thibault Candia scored twice to help the Owls beat Duquesne University, 4-1, on Tuesday at the Temple Sports Complex.

Sophomore forward Thibault Candia attempts a shot in Temple's 4-1 win against Duquesne University at the Temple Sports Complex on September 19. He scored twice, once in each half. | SYDNEY SCHAEFER / TTN FILE PHOTO

“Slow him down!” Duquesne University redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Robbie McKelvey shouted to his defense in the 52nd minute.

Temple sophomore forward Thibault Candia had the ball on the attack and had already scored twice, including in the first minute of play. Candia created another scoring chance, but he did not find the back of the net a third time.

The Owls (2-4-1) broke a three-game goalless streak in their 4-1 win against Duquesne at the Temple Sports Complex on Tuesday. They outshot the Dukes 23-6 and scored four goals in a game for the first time since Sept. 17, 2016 against Fairfield University.

“I think the first one made us more comfortable to play the game, we got a lot of confidence,” Candia said.

After his two-goal outing, Candia is tied for the team’s scoring lead with senior midfielder and forward Joonas Jokinen, who sat out with an injury he sustained in Saturday’s game against Fairfield.

Sophomore midfielder Zach Brown and sophomore forward Lukas Fernandes both scored off the bench. Brown’s goal, a quick header past McKelvey set up by junior midfielder and forward Jordan Wix Rauch’s corner kick, was the first of his career.

Brown and Fernandes’ goals came while Temple played with a one-man advantage. Dukes freshman midfielder and forward Dorion Dixon left the game in the 69th minute after committing a foul and earning a red card. Brown scored in the 77th minute, and Fernandes scored his first college goal in the 86th minute.

Sophomore forward Zach Hall scored for the Dukes in the 80th minute while his team played down one man. Hall leads the Dukes in goals with three through seven games this season.

Four freshmen played for Temple and three of them started, including forward Alan Camacho Soto. He made his first career start and took two shots on goal. Camacho Soto didn’t make his season debut until he played as a substitute against Fairfield.

Freshman forward Alan Camacho Soto races down the sideline during the Owls’ 4-1 win against Duquesne University on Tuesday at the Temple Sports Complex. | MICHAEL BARSHTEYN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

“I think he did fantastic today,” coach David MacWilliams said. “I thought he was an integral part of our game and the way we played.”

“Obviously the guys use a lot of energy, so we wanted to make sure that we weren’t getting too tired, and we have enough depth on this team that we can use other players,” he said.

The Owls’ next game is its American Athletic Conference opener against Connecticut on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Temple Sports Complex.

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