Senior midfielder Matt Moran helped guide the men’s soccer team to wins over two Atlantic 10 Conference rivals this week. His two goals and two assists in two games earned him the Philadelphia Soccer 7 player of the week award and this week’s Temple News Athlete of the Week.
Temple (7-2-2, 3-0-1), is off to its best start since 1993 and sits atop the A-10 standings. Coach David MacWilliams has credited Moran with a chunk of the team’s success.
“Matty is one of the quickest kids on the team,” he said. “He’s a tireless worker and a competitor.”
Moran assisted on the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Fordham at Temple Stadium last Friday. However, his performance last Sunday at home against La Salle was nearly flawless.
After a scoreless first half, Moran scored two goals and assisted on a third early in the second half. It all happened in 92 seconds.
“I was amazed,” said Moran, a Drexel Hill native. “I looked up at the scoreboard and there was only five minutes gone in the half.”
Temple rolled over La Salle 3-0 and has won three straight games.
Moran’s scoring binge began at the 47-minute, 55-second mark in the second half when freshman Ryan Heins found Moran in front of the goal for an easy score.
Seconds later, Moran took a long pass from sophomore Nick Ebersole and found the back of the net again. To top it off, Moran made a sharp pass to Ebersole who blasted a shot past La Salle goalkeeper Stash Graham at 49:27.
Both Moran and MacWilliams are thrilled with the solid play of the defense this season and also give much credit to goalie Patrick Hannigan.
Moran is extremely excited about the team’s effort and hopes to continue the success. But off the field, like any other student, he has many distractions to deal with.
“It’s hard to stay focused during the season, but that’s what I’m here to do,” Moran said.
Charles Peach can be reached at peach@temple.edu.
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