The first half of Temple’s game against South Florida looked like an even matchup. Both teams kept pace with each other, attempting four shots each. But only USF could convert on its attempts when it snuck a shot past Temple goalkeeper Flannan Riley in the 14th minute.
USF forward Gunnar Studenhofft’s strike was the difference between the two teams for nearly 70 minutes as Temple searched for the equalizer. Instead, the Bulls secured the clinching goal behind forward Jalen Anderson, whose 82nd minute penalty kick sealed the Owls’ fate — their third loss in four games.
Temple (2-6-3, 0-1-1 American Athletic Conference) lost to South Florida (4-2-4, 2-1-0 AAC) 2-0 Saturday night at Corbett Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Owls have now gone scoreless in seven games this season.
“We were the better team the whole game except for really one moment; the corner kick,” said head coach Bryan Green. “We did what we wanted on both sides of the ball; except score.”
As the match kicked off, both teams were locked in a stalemate until Temple defender Diego Diaz got things going with the game’s first shot in the sixth minute. Bulls’ goalkeeper Felix Schaefer stuffed Diaz’s attempt, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Schaefer finished with five saves, ruining every chance Temple had.
Anderson got USF’s first shot of the game, but Riley was there to coral the attempt in the ninth minute. Five minutes later, the Bulls got the break they needed on a corner kick. Midfielder Lovro Kostanjšek launched a pass that found Studenhofft, who buried his shot to take an early 1-0 advantage.
Temple continued to search for the equalizer for the remainder of the half but was continuously unsuccessful. Owls’ forward Charlie Votel recorded two shots on goal in the first half but couldn’t connect and was also called for two fouls.
The Owls’ lack of offense has been a key sticking point for much of the season with just two goals in the entire month of September. They went into October looking for any offensive spark, but it never came. Forward Xavier Rimpel came off the bench and tried to level the game with a shot in the 40th minute but Schaefer denied his attempt.
Both teams matched each other throughout every step of the first half. Temple recorded the exact same number of shots and shots on goal as the Bulls but Riley had one less save than Schaefer in the first half. However, Riley’s missed save opportunity was the difference maker and Temple went into halftime trailing by a goal.
“I think we did a great job getting in the final third, [of the field] passing and moving the ball,” Green said. “We kind of settled a little bit from getting into the final third, we could’ve done more to get better looks.”
Midfielder Tessho Kobayashi looked to give the Owls life when he seemingly gave Temple a penalty kick in the 41st minute. It was ultimately reversed by the referee and Kobayashi was called for a yellow card instead.
The Bulls were determined to double their lead coming out of the locker room, and midfielder Pedro Faife got it started when he ripped a shot a minute into the second half. His shot was off target, but USF followed it up five minutes later with three straight corner kicks. Forward John Adekunle almost put one home, but Riley was there to stave off the attempt.
Temple dialed up the pressure, desperately looking to get its first goal of the match but could not get past the Bulls’ defense. The Owls had two back-to-back corner shots in the 68th and 69th minute but could not convert them into points. Forward Nathan Brown put off a shot after each corner, only one found the target but it was stopped by Schaefer.
“We were knocking on the door,” Green said. “We had a couple of near misses and clearances off of the line. We were right there we just have to find the back of the net.
The Bulls sent a stream of shots in the second half hoping to catch Riley off guard. After an even first half, USF outshot Temple 7-3 in the second half. It was Anderson who was finally able to hammer home the clincher with his penalty kick.
The Owls will return to Philadelphia for a two-game homestand when they host Memphis (5-4-1, 2-0-0 AAC) on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
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