‘Different team, same result’

Coach David MacWilliams described the Owls’ Saturday night game against Fairfield University in four words:

“Different team, same result.”

Temple lost to Fairfield, 2-0, in Connecticut, extending its winless streak to four games and scoreless streak to three. The Owls continued to struggle offensively, as they haven’t scored since Aug. 31.

In their last game before Saturday, the Owls lost to St. John’s University, 2-0.

“It’s just the same thing,” MacWilliams said. “We can’t score goals, and when you can’t score goals, you end up with the same result we’ve been getting.”

Temple, now 1-4-1, is well aware of its difficulty scoring and, subsequently, its difficulty winning games. The Owls have tried to modify their lineup, with the most notable changes yet on Saturday against Fairfield.

Instead of redshirt-senior goalkeeper Alex Cagle, sophomore goalkeeper Michael Samnik earned the start. Samnik finished the night with two saves on four shots on goal in his first game for Temple.

“I thought he played fine,” MacWilliams said. “We made some changes and we’re trying to switch some things up and give all the guys a chance since what we have been doing hasn’t been working.”

Freshman forward Justin Hahn and redshirt-freshman midfielder Khedive McIntosh earned their first starts, and freshman forward Alan Camacho Soto came off the bench to record 52 minutes in his first game.

Fairfield scored its first goal at the 54-minute, nine-second mark. With just less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Stags scored their second goal of the night to seal their victory.

For the first time this season, Temple was outshot by its opponent. Temple finished with five shots, three of which were on goal, while the Stags ended with six and four on target. Hahn led the Owls in shots with two.

“We created some opportunities, but we weren’t able to finish our chances,” MacWilliams said.

The Owls also struggled with foul trouble, as they were called for 23 fouls. Meanwhile, Fairfield committed only 14 and gained a possession advantage.

In three days, Temple will host Duquesne University in its second home game in its first seven games.

“It will definitely be nice to be at home,” MacWilliams said. “Our schedule so far really hasn’t helped us out.”