Temple struggles to adjust in loss to Memphis

Temple Men’s Soccer (2-7-4, 1-3-2 American Athletic Conference) fell to Memphis (8-3-2, 3-3 AAC) 4-2 Saturday at the Memphis Track and Soccer Complex. 

The Owls remain at just five points in the AAC standings, as their chances at a conference tournament appearance continue to fall. 

“We played very rushed in the first half and that didn’t suit us very well,” said head coach Bryan Green. “Credit to Memphis they made us play that way, but I think we could’ve adjusted on the field a little quicker than we did.”

KEY MOMENTS

• Midfielder Elias Betancourt had the first shot on goal of the game, but Memphis goalkeeper JD Gunn recorded the save. 
• Memphis defender Logan Longo had the first shot for Memphis in the 11th minute, but it was off target. Forward Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos followed up with another off-target shot in the 14th minute. Both defenses were stout early in the first half.
• Temple goalkeeper Andrew Kempe recorded his first save of the game in the 16th minute on a shot from Rodrigues dos Santos to keep the game scoreless.
• Memphis midfielder Eric Primo gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
• The Tigers extended their lead to 2-0 in the 45th minute on goal by Longo off an assist from Rodrigues dos Santos.
• Temple did not go down without a fight, as Midfielder Tessho Kobayashi put the Owls on the board with a goal in the 58th minute, trimming the Tigers’ lead to just one.
• Kempe recorded his fourth save in the 61st minute, preventing the Tigers from extending their lead. 
• However, Rodrigues dos Santos eventually extended the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 in the 75th minute. He was assisted by defenders Cesar Sancho and Hayden Anderson.
• Memphis midfielder Bryce Meredith put the game out of reach in the 77th minute as he extended the Tigers’ lead to 4-1. 
• Temple scored their second goal in the 85th minute, cutting the lead to 4-2, but it was not enough to spark a comeback. Defender Rocco Haeufgloeckener provided the goal off an assist from midfielder Felix Ewald.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Gunn recorded two saves for the Tigers on the four shots he faced, while Kempe finished the game with five saves against nine shots on goal by the Tigers.
• Memphis won the corner kick battle 8-1 in the first half. They also won the shot battle 11-3. Just two of Temple’s shots were on goal.
• The Tigers put up 12 more shots in the second half, bringing their total to 23 compared to Temple’s eight.
• Temple earned four corner kicks in the second half but still lost the battle 13-5 overall.

ON TAP

Temple will return to the Temple Sports Complex and look to bounce back against Tulsa (4-7-2, 2-4 American Athletic Conference) on Oct. 27th at 8 p.m.