Fall coaches: Should they stay or go?

As we say goodbye to fall sports, it’s time to evaluate the effectiveness of some of the Owls’ leading men and women. Will they be back in 2009, or will they get the pink slip?

Al Golden,
Football
You can’t complain too much about the guy who brought the Owls out of the football graveyard in 2007. Last year, the team went 4-8, a much-needed step forward from previous seasons. But 2008 has been filled with frustration. Five losses have been decided by less than a touchdown, and three times the Owls lost on the final play. The team has lacked discipline and a knockout blow in late-game situations, and that is a direct reflection on Golden. But he’s got plenty of job security and amost likely, a prosperous tenure left here on North Broad Street.
Verdict: Al’s got some work to do, but Temple football needs its passionate leader.

David Jones,
Women’s soccer
In six years of work, Jones has had subpar results. The Owls haven’t even sniffed the postseason, and for a program that began in 1991, there hasn’t been much progress to speak of at all. This year, the Cherry and White went 4-11-4 and were shutout nine times. Will a fresh face bring new life to the women’s soccer team? Probably not, but the players don’t appear to be responding to what Jones has to offer.
Verdict: Jones and coaches had ample time to mold the program into form, but they apparently aren’t much of sculptors.

David MacWilliams,
Men’s soccer
Last season, the Owls flopped to a 5-11-2 finish and lacked much of an offensive threat. This season has been sort of a fairy-tale story. The emergence of junior forward J.T. Noone and junior midfielder Mike Puppolo as scorers led to a trip back to the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament for the first time in four years. MacWilliams did a great job of coaching down the stretch, as he led the Owls to a 6-1-2 conference record. The combination of MacWilliams and the Owls could be perched atop the A-10 for the next few years.
Verdict: At least there is one successful D-Mac in Philadelphia. 2009 will be a big year for the men’s soccer team.

Bob Bertucci,
Volleyball
The 14-year veteran coach has been nothing short of exceptional for the Owls. He has engineered nine 20-plus win seasons and in 2002, reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Nothing surprises or fazes Bertucci, who has been described as an “architect of the game.” With that being said, it makes it harder to believe he can’t solve the riddle of the A-10 West. In the last three seasons, the Owls have gone 0-9 against the “Big 3” of Saint Louis, Dayton and Xavier. Are his tactics getting stale, or are the Cherry and White simply overmatched? He and his team have a shot at redemption in the A-10 Tournament this weekend.
Verdict: Bertucci is an immobile figure for the volleyball team and will surely be back in 2009.

Amanda Janney,
Field hockey
This is certainly an interesting examination. Janney has done a remarkable job getting her team in position for the playoffs the last four years. But, that’s where the problems began. The last two seasons, the Owls have been the higher seed in their opening round match-up and ultimately lost. She also hasn’t tasted the spoils of an elusive A-10 Championship, something that has avoided the Owls since 1994. She deserves credit for her superb winning percentage, but another postseason hiccup could be her last.
Verdict: Janney’s not going anywhere just yet. All these playoff losses have to add up at some point.

Overall
While some teams are coming off successful fall 2008 campaigns, others were not so fortunate. Those in the latter grouping may use this offseason to shop around for new coaches. As a whole, Temple Athletics has been impressive, with three of the above mentioned coaches reaching postseason play. For them, 2009 will be about taking that next step and bringing home some hardware.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at anthony.stipa@temple.edu.

Optimistic women’s soccer team ready to go

Temple women’s soccer coach David Jones has to feel optimistic about the 2008 season.

With a bevy of returning talent packing the lineup and the progressive tutelage that Jones and his staff offer the girls each year, the Owls feel it is only a matter of time before the tough losses suffered in the past transfer over into the win column.

Jones, who enters his sixth season as coach with a career record of 21-61-8, heads an Owls team that went 5-10-4 overall (1-8-2 in the Atlantic Ten Conference) last season and finished one spot above the basement in the conference.

However, 10 starters return from that team, and the added experience and trust among the players can only make for improved chemistry.

“Our goal is to go to the A-10 Tournament,” Jones said. “We’re young, but we hope with our schedule we can get organized and win some games.”

Leading the Owls once again this season are midfielder Jenna Rankin, forward Wendy Halina and defenseman Cori Gallagher, all seniors. Rankin, a 5-foot-6-inch native of Fairless Hills, Pa., finished third on the Owls in scoring with nine points a year ago—three goals and three assists.

She started every game and became the dual offensive threat for a team that had its troubles finding the back of the net. But even more so, she has become somewhat of an unspoken leader for the team.
“I think the seniors are my first recruit class here at Temple,” Jones said. “They have developed and will compete this season. Jenna has worked real hard this offseason playing in the [Women’s Premier Soccer League].”

“[The seniors] will be hard workers and I think they’ll be ready to step up to the challenge,” he added.

In addition to the veterans, Jones welcomes back an abundance of starters who have contributed to this rebuilding process, including goalkeeper Kara Williams and defenseman Liz Roper, both sophomores.

As a wide-eyed freshman, Williams started every game between the pipes for the Owls, posting a 1.49 goals-against average, including three shutouts. She also received A-10 All-Rookie honors.

“Kara had a great freshman year. She stepped up to the challenge,” Jones said. “This year, we hope to have a stronger back line to take some of the pressure off her. Our assistant coach [Dave Dixon] was a world-class goalkeeper, so she has a great coach. We’re excited about her sophomore season.”

Joining Temple from overseas this season are forward/midfielder Jessica Stenberg and midfielder/defenseman Tiia Kuokka, both eager freshmen from Sweden and Finland, respectively.

The Owls’ first A-10 contest is slated for Sept. 26 at Xavier. Along the way, conference rivals such as Charlotte and Fordham will also be tough tests. Jones, however, feels his squad is ready to take action in the league.

“It’ll be tough,” the Owls’ coach said of the conference schedule. “It seems like every team, every year is getting better. I think it will be a challenge to make the top six needed to get in the [A-10] Tournament.

“If we can get organized in the non-conference schedule, we’ll be fine.”

So now the question becomes, can the Owls revive a Temple program that has fallen victim to a few dismal seasons and earn back respect on campus, and more importantly, in the A-10?

“It’s going to come down to winning games,” Jones said. “We’ve got to step on the field and win games. If you don’t win games, at any level, you won’t get the respect.”

Bud Weaver can be reached at bud.weaver@temple.edu.