Temple went into halftime deadlocked at zero with Mercyhurst on Tuesday, searching for its first goal in three games to break the tie. The Lakers had the Owls on the ropes, sending six shots toward goalkeeper Flannan Riley in the first half but he swatted them away.
Temple defender Nikolai Zapolskikh notched the Owls’ go-ahead goal just seven minutes into the second half. Temple didn’t look back and took control of the game, never letting Mercyhurst secure an equalizer. The Owls added a cushion to the lead five minutes later and cruised to its third win of the season.
Temple (3-6-4, 0-2-2 American Athletic Conference) defeated Mercyhurst (6-6-0, 3-0-0 Northeast Conference) 2-0 Tuesday evening at the Temple Sports Complex. The Owls’ two goals were the first time they have scored multiple in a game since scoring two against Villanova on Aug. 25.
”It was a good performance of bringing together what we’ve done and what we’ve been building for the past month,” said head coach Bryan Green. “We have to keep our sharpness and get a little bit sharper on some of the things in the final third [of the field].”
Temple has struggled offensively all season but came out on the attack to begin the game. Forward Nathan Brown got the action going four minutes into the game, hurling a shot toward the net. However, Mercyhurst keeper Danilo Abayo Wilson saved the ball to keep the game scoreless.
Mercyhurst returned the favor nearly 40 seconds later with a shot of its own. Attacker Frank Lovett had a chance to take the lead but his shot was blocked and midfielder Lockie Fay followed it up with a shot of his own. His shot was also blocked and the game stayed even.
Both teams continued to trade scoring chances as Brown had another chance to take the lead for the Owls on a breakaway in the 10th minute. Laker midfielder Dylan Sumner sent a shot to Riley off a corner kick in the 12th minute, but both goalies fended off the chances to halt the chances.
Brown had one final opportunity to take the lead with two minutes left in the first half. Like his previous shot, Wilson stepped right in front of the attempt to dashed the Owls’ hopes before the break.
Both teams looked to create the opportunity coming out of halftime with a chance to come away with a victory. Zapolskikh was the one to do it in the 52nd minute, taking a pass from midfielder Lukas Egarter and firing over the outstretched arm of Wilson to take the lead.
“I felt really happy to help the team and get the win, it felt great,” Zapolskikh said. “The fans helped us keep going. It was great having the band, the music it was fun to play with.”
The Owls lead was almost erased as the Lakers went right back on the attack to try and find the equalizer. Attacker Cade Wurstner fired off a shot in the 53rd minute but Riley made the save to preserve the lead. Just five minutes later, the Owls did find a second goal. Brown had his first three shots saved but his fourth slipped past Wilson to extend the lead.
Mercyhurst attempted to cut its deficit in the 60th minute but it was short-lived as the goal was called back for offside. Six minutes later Temple went back on the attack, but could not extend its lead.
Temple forward Xavier Rimpel attempted to deliver the finishing blow with a strike from outside of the box but his opportunity was saved by Wilson. Less than a minute later, defender Paolo Kampula got on the end of a header from a corner but he could not find the target as his chance hit the crossbar and went out of play.
Mercyhurst racked up 13 shots throughout the match, but Riley once again shined in net, making six saves and recording a clean sheet. The Owls’ offense continued producing a high amount of chances, sending 10 shots at the goal and converting two of them.
“The defenders do a great job stepping the line up, and pushing into positions where it’s easier for me to make a save,” Riley said. “Defenders have gotten comfortable with each other, the chemistry is getting better, and I think you can see it the way we’re playing.”
The Owls will hit the road to resume conference play to take on UAB (4-3-4, 1-2-1 AAC) on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
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