Philadelphia, PA - The Mercyhurst Men's Soccer traveled to Philadelphia this evening for a contest against the Temple University Owls. After a 0-0 score at halftime, the Owls found the back of the net twice to give them a 2-0 victory over the Lakers.
How it Happened
This match was electric from the kickoff as Nathan Brown almost gave the Owls an early lead with a header in the penalty area just four minutes in.
Danilo Abayo made a great reactionary save to prevent an early Temple goal. Brown had another shot on a breakaway in the 11th minute that was again denied by Abayo. On the other end of the pitch,
Dylan Sumner hit a curling shot from outside the penalty area in the 13th minute that was denied by a diving effort from Temple goalkeeper Flannan Riley.
In the 22nd minute, Alex Champagne stood over a free kick for the Owls just 20 yards out from the goal.
Danilo Abayo made another terrific save with an outstretched hand to keep the score at 0-0 midway through the first half. The Lakers then had a great chance in the 38th minute where Felipe Santos dribbled 25 yards and played the ball into
Alvar Silva. Flannan Riley made another big save to prevent the Lakers from taking the lead. The final big chance of the half for the Owls came in the 44th minute where Nathan Brown was again denied by
Danilo Abayo. At least three saves from each keeper left the score at 0-0 in halftime.
In the second half, the Owls broke the deadlock in the 52nd when Nikolai Zapolskikh hit a rocket from outside the penalty area that knuckled into the bottom right corner of the net. Just six minutes later, Nathan Brown found himself with space as he fired a shot into the far corner of the goal to put Temple up 2-0.
Mercyhurst thought they had found their first goal of the match when
Luis Felipe Santos scored in the 61st minute. However, the goal was disallowed as the offside flag went up.
Alvar Silva had a chance to get one back for the Lakers in the 80
th minute, but his shot narrowly hit the post. The final score ended up being 2-0 on what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for
Austin Solomon and the Lakers.
Highlights
Nathan Brown scored his first goal of the season.
Nikolai Zapolskikh scored his first goal of the season.
Flannan Riley made six saves and recorded a shutout.
Up Next
The Lakers will travel to North Easton, Massachusetts as they play Stonehill College in an NEC matchup this coming Sunday. Kickoff for that match is set for 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). Viewers can find live coverage on the NEC Front Row.
