After keeping pace with Charlotte in its previous matchup on Sept. 21, Temple entered its first American Athletic Conference tournament Friday night hoping for a chance at revenge.
Temple came into the tournament with a 3-0-1 record in its last four games, but Charlotte took control of the game almost immediately and never looked back. Defender Fofana Abubacarr found the back of the net in the second minute and Charlotte netted two more goals to send Temple home.
Temple (5-7-5, 2-2-3 AAC) suffered a season-ending 3-1 loss to Charlotte (9-2-5, 3-2-2 AAC) Friday night at Transamerica Field in the first round of the AAC tournament. Charlotte outshot Temple 14-9 on the night and never left the Owls a chance for 90 minutes.
Temple entered the game on a high note after a thrilling 1-0 win against Tulsa on Nov. 1 and were looking to continue the momentum of a four-game unbeaten streak. Charlotte got the first chance of the night with a corner kick in the second minute.
Forward Orthodoxos Orthodoxou capitalized off of the opportunity by sending a ball to Abubacarr, making a diving attempt for the ball. Abubacrr collided with Temple keeper Flannan Riley but managed to head the ball home to take an early 1-0 lead.
The 49ers went back on the attack, searching to tack on to its lead after the first goal. Charlotte sent two shots Riley’s way before the third attempt ended up being the charm. Defender Ryan Dunn corralled a pass from forward Brigham Larsen to record another goal before the 10 minute mark hit.
Temple was finally able to get its first real chance 11 minutes into the game when they earned a corner kick. The corner sparked a flurry of Owls chances to level the game but each time the 49ers’ defense stopped them before a shot could arise.
Temple only managed one shot in the first half, when forward Elliot Rigbert ripped a shot to keeper Leo Stritter hoping to cut the lead in half. His attempt never had a chance as it sailed wide right of the goal post.
Charlotte was able to deliver the final strike in just the 25th minute after a corner was dropped right by Dunn’s feet. He then stuck the ball past Riley, who watched the ball go past him for his second goal of the game. To add insult to injury, head coach Bryan Green was given the games first yellow card after an argument with the referee following the goal.
Temple came out of the locker room in desperation mode with its season hanging in the balance. They fired away at the net after a free kick from midfielder Lukas Egarter. Three Temple players took cracks to get Temple on the board but none connected.
Charlotte looked to have scored its fourth goal, but it was dashed after it was called a handball to keep the game at three points. Midfielder Edgar Bazan looked to get his team on the board, but his shot couldn’t connect and Temple stayed at zero. The Owls scored to cut the lead after defender Aaron Markowitz got his shot past Stritter in the 84th minute. However the game was pretty much decided.
Temple put on a fighting effort in the second half with eight shots while the 49ers had just four.
Temple took a step forward in the second season under Green and the program will look to build even further as it heads into the offseason.
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