In the 56th minute, sophomore forward Mike Eijgendaal capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to put Temple University ahead 3-1.
“I think it was a really good offensive performance,” Eijgendaal said. “It was nice to get the three goals after those two games without a goal.
Temple men’s soccer (1-0-2, 0-0 The American Athletic Conference) defeated Manhattan College (1-2, 0-0 The Metro Atlantic Conference) 3-1 at the Temple Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.
Owls’ head coach Brian Rowland emphasized the team’s performance looks more like what he expected in preseason, he said.
“Over the first two weekends we had to do a lot of changes in rotation, which can affect your rhythm,” Rowland added. “It is nice to come out and be able to execute.”
Freshman forward Nigel Griffith scored the Owls’ first goal after he took advantage of a turnover and netted a goal past Jaspers’ junior goalkeeper Hunter Kochiss.
The Jaspers tied the game in the 38th minute with a goal by junior forward Johan Velez on a bicycle kick that snuck past Owls’ redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Eoin Gawronski. That was the first goal the Owls’ goalkeeper allowed this season.
After the Jaspers’ goal, the Owls’ defense prevented any pressure throughout the rest of the game.
In the 53rd minute, Owls’ redshirt-sophomore defender Marques Antoine pushed a rebound shot past sophomore goalkeeper Danny Dimarco, making it a 2-1 lead.
Eijgendaal added the insurance to give the Owls the first win of the season. Despite the result, Eijgendaal believes the team still could have executed better.
“I think we can get more goals out of our own possession,” Eijgendaal said. “Like getting crosses in, getting balls in the box and just getting shots off and getting more and more attacks.”
Temple will compete against Big 5 rival Villanova University (2-1, 0-0 The Big East) at home on Sept. 11 at 7:00 p.m.
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