Temple midfielder Egdar Bazan appeared to give his team a boost Sunday afternoon after blasting a shot in the 68th minute to put the Owls up on Florida Atlantic by a goal. It was the first goal from the field by the Owls since defeating Villanova on Aug. 25.
But Temple’s defense, which has been its lifeline all season, couldn’t hold on for 22 more minutes. Instead, goalkeeper Andrew Kempe let a shot by FAU forward Noah Kvifte slip his grasp six minutes later and the Owls settled for a heartbreaking draw.
Temple (2-5-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) drew with FAU (2-3-3, 0-1 AAC) 1-1 Sunday afternoon at the FAU Soccer Stadium. Temple found its offensive groove against FAU last season in a 3-0 win on Oct. 4, 2023, but couldn’t replicate it this go around.
Since scoring four goals in the first two games of the year, Temple has gone silent. The team’s last goal came on a penalty kick by midfielder Luka Egarter against Akron on Sept. 14.
“It was heat we’re not used to and that’s why holding on for the draw is a positive,” said head coach Bryan Green. “To get the point on the road is a positive and that’s where the team gelled well.”
FAU wasted no time putting pressure on Kempe when midfielder Sebastion Zettl ripped the first shot on goal in the 17th minute. Temple swatted the attempt away to keep the game level early.
FAU continued to keep Temple’s defense on its heels for the rest of the first half, and in the 24th minute, midfielder Ajay Stewart took his chance to score. His attempt was blocked but midfielder Arthur Widiez corralled the rebound and attempted to make a breakthrough on a wide-open goal. However, defender Diego Diaz stepped in front of the goal to turn the chance away.
Kempe remained the story of the first half and kept FAU at arm’s length despite the team’s 10 shots on the day. He only made two saves in the game but his and the rest of the team’s efforts helped Temple stay within reach while they tried to take the lead.
While Temple’s defense continued to thrive, the offense did the opposite. The Owls recorded a mere two shots on goal and had three offside penalties, unable to get off the ground and both teams went into the locker room with a 0-0 stalemate.
The second half remained stagnant for both teams, and neither side got a shot until the 64th minute. FAU forward Aboubacar Traore took his chance at Kempe but couldn’t connect and both teams played on to break the tie.
Temple’s shots came at a premium, being outshot 10-6 during the game and only attempted three corners compared to FAU’s 12. Bazar seemingly busted the door open with his goal in the final stretch of the game. Forward Elliot Rigbert had an opportunity to extend Temple’s lead in the 73rd minute, but FAU goalkeeper Nacho Alfaro made the save.
Alfaro’s save was all FAU needed, and Kvifte was the one who delivered. Aboubacar sent a pass to the senior who fired it home to tie the game with minutes left. Kvifte’s goal is the second straight game Temple has a goal in the final 20 minutes.
“I think we could’ve pushed through earlier a little bit more,” Green said. “We knew we had to make changes, but I think overall we did a good job.”
Temple continues conference play against USF (3-2-4, 1-1 Athletic Coast Conference) at Corbett Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
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