Temple recorded its second consecutive conference win on Wednesday night against Rutgers 1-0.
The Owls had four shots on goal to Rutgers’ six. But even with only four chances, Temple managed to get on the lead thanks to a timely finish by junior forward Chas Wilson for his third goal of the season.
“It was a great goal,” coach David MacWilliams said. “[Vaughn] Spurrier beat the guy at the end line and crossed it in and Chas slotted it in. It was a great finish.”
The second half was different as Rutgers pushed men forward to try and get the equalizer, but the defense held its own to preserve the victory. Rutgers had a total of 10 shots in the second half to only four for the Owls, but the Scarlet Knights were not able to find the back of the net.
“I thought we had a mission,” MacWilliams said. “Guys went out and they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them. I’m really proud. They battled and fought all game. We went up 1-0, but it went crazy towards the end. I think what happened was that the last 15 min they pushed everybody forward. We had just as much chances and quality chances, but we didn’t finish. We knew they were fighting for their lives, and knew the pressure was coming. But, our defense didn’t break down and Danny stopped them when we needed him. I was really pleased the way we played and responded.”
With this win, the Owls now have nine points in the conference and have only lost one game – their opener against Louisville.
MacWilliams said that his team is getting used to the tougher competitions now and that they feel they can play against teams like Rutgers and win.
The Owls will now prepare for their last home game of the regular season against Central Florida on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Hoon Jin can be reached at hoon.jin@temple.edu or on Twitter @hjin67.
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