Temple was on the doorstep of the American Athletic Conference tournament last year in head coach Bryan Green’s first season. They needed to get past nationally-ranked SMU in the final game of the season to punch its ticket to the postseason, but they fell just short.
The ending was disappointing, but it gave the program optimism for the future. That optimism quickly fizzled when the Owls got off to a lackluster 2-5-4 start in 2024, and they needed late-season heroics to clinch a berth in the AAC tournament for the first time since 2020.
Just when it looked like the season could get away from them, the Owls got hot, going 2-0-1 before finding themselves in a similar position heading into its final game against Tulsa on Nov. 2. If Temple defeated the Golden Hurricane, the Owls clinched a postseason bid.
The second time around was fruitful for the Owls, who earned a 1-0 victory with a bit of luck. A Tulsa own-goal was the deciding factor and now Temple has an opportunity to compete for its first ever AAC title.
“It’s awesome [to make the AAC tournament],” Green said. “It’s an awesome group of guys, and just to be able to keep going and be able to spend another week with them and have another chance to extend our season is awesome.”
Here is everything you need to know before six-seed Temple kicks off against three-seed Charlotte on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
JUST AS EXPECTED
Following the heartbreak of missing the postseason last year, the Owls made it an expectation to make sure their season had a different ending this year.
Making the playoffs was discussed amongst the team all season. Green told his players that tension would only increase as the year progressed from non-conference play to conference play, to the conference tournament.
“Our goal is to always be the best in the conference,” said goalkeeper Flannan Riley at the beginning of the season. “We want to focus on creating our destiny and not relying on other teams. It’s about us.”
The Owls struggled at the beginning of the season navigating the high expectations. They went on a dry spell and didn’t score a goal for nearly a month. Temple relied on its back third to keep them competitive for much of the season while the offense struggled.
Temple scored three goals against Villanova on Aug. 25 but went stagnant during September with just two goals during the entire month. They secured a goal in the do-or-die win against Tulsa, and the offense will need to replicate its end-of-the-season performance when it scored four goals in four games.
BEND DON’T BREAK
Temple’s identity during the season was its defense, and it will have to ride the unit in the postseason to go on a run. Green decided to embrace the identity of the team during the dry spell and it has worked wonders during the back half of the season.
But it didn’t come without road bumps.
Temple held Saint Joseph’s scoreless almost all game on Sept. 24, but the Hawks powered home two goals in the final five minutes of the game. The loss was a low point for the team, and the Owls could have sunk or tried to make the most of the season.
“We realized our mentality is going to get us to where we want to go or it will sink us,” Green said. “I think we fully bought into being a difficult team to play against.”
The game against St. Joe’s was a wake-up call, and Temple has allowed just three goals since.
Temple has remained tight with its opponents thanks to its back line. Defenders Kemali Green, Diego Diaz and Nikolai Zapolskikh have become an anchor for a Temple defense that has the second-fewest goals allowed.
“Me, Kamali and Diego are talking a lot and I know that helps a lot,” Zapolskikh said. “Being ready and making sure we’re accountable makes all the difference.”
Temple’s goalkeeper situations have also kept the Owls within striking distance. The duo of Riley and Andrew Kempe and both top three in save percentage in the conference. Kempe was a brick wall in the clincher against Tulsa with five saves.
ON CHARLOTTE
Temple will have to face a familiar foe to make it to the semifinals.
The Owls and the 49ers faced off on Sept. 21, when Charlotte was ranked No. 19 in the country. Temple lost the shot battle 15-2 but managed to stay level until a second-half goal ruined the upset effort.
Charlotte has spiraled since that game. After reaching as high as nine in the country, the 49ers find themselves unranked heading into the conference tournament after suffering two losses and three ties.
Charlotte boasts a stout defense, allowing just 12 goals all year with six coming to a loss against FAU on Nov. 2. Temple was able to keep pace with Charlotte in round one and Green’s confidence remains unfazed heading into the rematch.
“We think we have a good shot and our first opponent, we really felt like we were the better team,” Green said. “We have confidence and also a bit of an edge because we don’t feel like that’s how that game should’ve ended so we’re looking forward to getting another shot at them.”
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