Monthly Archives: September 2012

Golf season begins with Navy Invitational

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The golf team will begin play this weekend at the Navy Invitational held at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Md., per the team schedule released Thursday.

The Owls will play in six tournaments spanning from Sept. 8 until Oct 22. They will close the fall at the St. Barnabas Health Intercollegiate at Fairmont Country Club in Chatham, N.J., a tournament where sophomore Paul Carbone was a co-medalist as a freshman.

In that range the marquee event will be the Big 5 Invitational held at Philmont Country Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Huntingdon Valley is the hometown of two golfers on the Temple roster, Carbone and sophomore Mike Amole.

-Anthony Bellino

Men’s basketball schedule released

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Temple has one remaining year in the Atlantic 10 Conference before it makes the jump to the Big East Conference, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t playing any big games. The Owls are set to make 14 appearances on television this year, which includes 13 national broadcasts.

Among the big games for the team is at Kansas on Jan. 6 and vs. Syracuse Dec. 22. These games will be televised on CBS and ESPN 2 respectively.

Coming off a season in which the Owls beat rival Villanova and national powerhouse Duke, the country will get to see both highly-touted rematches. The team takes on Villanova on Dec. 5 and squares-off against Duke just three days later.

The team returns only two starters from last year’s roster that finished 24-8 and A-10 regular season champions.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule:

11/13/2012 Kent State   12:00 PM Details
11/17/2012 Rice   TBA Details
11/25/2012 Delaware   TBA Details
11/28/2012 Buffalo   TBA Details
12/1/2012 Wagner   TBA Details
12/5/2012 Villanova   9:00 PM Details
12/8/2012 Duke (Izod Center)   3:15 PM Details
12/12/2012 Towson   TBA Details
12/17/2012 TBD – Gotham Classic   TBA Details
12/19/2012 TBD – Gotham Classic   TBA Details
12/22/2012 Syracuse (Madison Square Garden)   12:00 pm Details
12/29/2012 TBD – Gotham Classic   TBA Details
12/31/2012 Bowling Green   TBA Details
1/6/2013 Kansas   1:30/4:30 PM Details
1/10/2013 Xavier   TBA Details
1/12/2013 Saint Louis   6:00 PM Details
1/16/2013 George Washington   TBA Details
1/19/2013 St. Bonaventure   1:00 PM Details
1/23/2013 Penn   TBA Details
1/26/2013 Butler   6:00 PM Details
1/30/2013 Richmond   TBA Details
2/2/2013 Saint Joseph’s   6:00 PM Details
2/6/2013 Charlotte   TBA Details
2/9/2013 Dayton   11:00 AM Details
2/14/2013 Duquesne   TBA Details
2/16/2013 Massachusetts   6:00 PM Details
2/21/2013 La Salle   7:00 PM Details
2/24/2013 Charlotte   TBA Details
3/2/2013 Rhode Island   TBA Details
3/6/2013 Fordham   TBA Details
3/10/2013 VCU   12:00 PM Details
3/14/2013 A10 Championships (Barclays Center)   TBA Details
3/15/2013 A10 Championships (Barclays Center)   TBA Details
3/16/2013 A10 Championships (Barclays Center)   TBA Details
3/17/2013 A10 Championships (Barclays Center)   TBA

Track hires new assistant/cross country coach

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Track & field coach Eric Mobley has hired Adam Bray, formerly of the University of Illinois and Maryland University, as his new assistant coach, a press release indicated Thursday.

Bray was at Illinois from 2009-12 as a volunteer assisting with the men’s and women’s cross country teams. He held the same position at Maryland the previous two years.

Bray graduated from Akron University in 2005, and was graduate assistant for the Zips for the 2005-06 season in which the team won cross country, indoor and outdoor track team titles in the Mid-American Conference.

Bray replaces former coach Matt Jelley, who resigned from Temple to take an assistant job at Maryland on Aug. 13. Jelley was an assistant under Mobley for track & field and coached men’s and women’s cross country during his five-year tenure at Temple.

Women’s gymnastics adds five recruits

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Entering his seventh year at the helm of the gymnastics team, Aaron Murphy has taken a great step towards improving his team. The team has announced today that five freshmen have been added to its squad for the upcoming season.

Tara Kilkenny, Reagan Oliveri, Hannah Popper, Danielle Vahala and Mary Kate Walch have all been recruited by Murphy to compete on a team devoid of four graduating seniors from last season, including Kaite Canning. The Owls are coming off a season in which they placed third in the Eastern Coastal Athletic Conference Championships.

The most notable recruit is possibly Mary Kate Walch, who joins her sister, senior Margaret Walch on the team, giving the Owls a unique family connection.

The gymnasts will get their first chance to compete on Jan. 12 when the Owls participate in the George Washington Invite in the Washington D.C.

Field hockey faces winless Monmouth

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Coming off of its dramatic overtime first win of the season, Temple (1-3) is now looking to add another win tonight against Monmouth University (0-4).

With sophomore midfield Nicole Kroener coming off a two-goal performance last Sunday in a win against Rutgers, the Owls will be looking to see a more balanced attack.

In an interview after Temple’s win on Sunday, Kroener said that the team needs to continue to improve their passing and possession.

“Keeping our possessions and building plays more through our midfield is something we need to work on,” Kroener said. “Improving our free hits around the circle and capitalizing on our penalty corners is important too.”

Along with Kroener, sophomore forward Amber Youtz and senior forward Katie Briglia will also need a big game to push the Owls to and even 2-2 record.

Youtz leads the team with three goals and two assists.

For Monmouth, senior forward Michelle Pieczynski leads the Hawks with three of the team’s six goals.

-Colin Tansits

Ice hockey releases roster

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The ice hockey club released its rosters Sunday night after having open tryouts the weekend of Friday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept. 2.

The team’s season begins Saturday, Sept. 15 at Millersville.

 

Benedetto, Matt 11 Senior D 6’0″ 190 Binghampton Senators, AJHL
Brennan, Chris 26 Senior F 5’10” 180 Philadelphia Littler Flyers, MJHL
Brewer, Dave 74 Freshman F 6’0″ 190 IUP, ACHA DI
Carnivale, Christopher 44 Sophomore D 5’7″ 190 Hollydell Hurriances, NJYHL
Ermigiotta, Sean 55 Sophomore D 6’1″ 215 Philadelphia Revolution, Empire
Feder, Dan 73 Senior F 5’8″ 180 Upper Dublin High School
Fenton, Allan 64 Sophomore F 6’0″ 190 Valley Forge Minutemen, MJHL
Hanrahan, Patrick 75 Freshman D 6’2″ 200 LaSalle High School
Johsnon, Chris 91 Senior F 5’7″ 155 West Chester Quakers, DVHL
Lawrence, Jordan 12 Senior D 6’0″ 170 Malvern Prep High School
Letizio, Kevin 78 Freshman D 6’2″ 170 Warminster Glaciers, DVHL
Litostanski, Aron 2 Sophomore D 6’2″ 210 North Catholic High School
Lombardi, Jason 77 Freshman D 6’1″ 190 Hatfield Ice Dogs, DVHL
Luongo, Steven 71 Junior F 5’11” 185 Philadeplhia Revolution, CHA
Marbaich, Jayson 80 Freshman F 6’0″ 215 Philadelphia Jr Flyers, AJHL
McMahon, Nick 21 Junior F 5’10” 175 Philadelphia Jr Blazers, CHA
Mullen, Chris 37 Junior G 5’9″ 175 Haverford High School
Nealis, sean 48 Senior F 5’11” 165 Philadelphia Jr Blazers, CHA
Noce, Kurt 18 Senior F 6’0″ 185 Philadelphia Little Flyers, MJHL
O’Donnell, Brady 5 Sophomore F 5’9″ 155 Lehigh Valley Comments, DVHL
Pisko, Joseph 9 Junior F 5’9″ 180 Philadelphia Jr Blazers, CHA
Plester, Jon 79 Freshman G 6’0″ 165 Lawrence Flames, NJYHL
Redante, Daniel 76 Junior D 5’8″ 168 Tri State Selects, Empire
Schramm, Patrick 36 Junior F 5’9″ 205 Malvern Prep High School
Segrin, Tyler 14 Sophomore Defense 5’11” 170 Delaware Ducks, DVHL
Semborski, Eric 33 Sophomore G 5′ 11″ 155 New Jersey Wildcats, CHA
Topley, Matt 62 Junior F 5’10” 190 West Virginia, ACHA DII
Trainor, Andrew 87 Senior D 6’2″ 205 Philadelphia Little Flyers , MJHL
Vassa, Cody 72 Freshman F 5’10” 160 Lehigh Valley Flames, DVHL

Tryouts prove fruitful for ice hockey

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For ice hockey coach Jerry Roberts, tryouts weekend is Christmas in September.

“Tryouts are like Christmas morning,” Roberts said. “Sometimes you know what you’re getting and sometimes you’re in for a surprise.”

Roberts’ surprise present came in the form of two good-looking players who showed up at the Northeast SkateZone complex Saturday unannounced and off of Temple’s radar. That would soon change.

Junior defenseman Dan Redante, formerly of the Tri-State Selects team in the Empire Junior Hockey League, is returning to competitive hockey after a three-year hiatus. Though Redante last saw game action in 2009, Roberts believes that the 24 year old will be an immediate force on the blue line.

“He’s not like the guy in ‘Rudy’ where he barely made the squad,” Roberts said. “This kid’s going to be really good for us and will no doubt be one of our top defensemen.”

Freshman goalie Jon Plester was another who impressed over the weekend, and will join junior Chris Mullen and sophomore Eric Semborski in the goalie mix. Though Plester may see limited ice time this year, there is no question that he could make an impact at some point down the road.

“[Plester] needs some fine-tuning, but he has by far the highest potential I’ve seen out of a rookie goalie in a long time,” Roberts said. “After a year working with [goalie coach Ted Wood], I think he can be really good.”

While Redante and Plester were unexpected arrivals, freshman forward Jayson Merbaich has been on Temple’s radar for some time, and promptly shined over the weekend.

“[Merbaich] is the real deal,” Roberts said. “He was by far our best forward in tryouts. I’m willing to bet a lot of money that he will be our leading scorer this year.”

“I talked to [assistant coach and Temple ice hockey all time leading scorer Ryan Frain] and he said that if [Merbaich] plays out his entire eligibility, he’ll shatter Frain’s records,” Roberts said. “He’s that good.”

Though the Owls are coming off of a season in which it missed regionals for the first time since the 2005-06 season, Roberts was impressed by the intensity and seriousness of his rejuvinated hockey club over the weekend.

“There were a lot of returners who were nervous about whether or not they were going to make the team, and it made for a really competitive tryout,” Roberts said. “No returners got cut, but they were all fighting for a spot and were really serious about it. It was a good way to start the year.”

-Andrew Parent

Women’s soccer gears up for Penn

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Temple (0-2-1) will take on city rival Penn (0-0) at Rhodes Field at The University of Penn campus today at 7 p.m.

While coach Matt Gwilliam says the team is taking each day one game at a time, it is no surprise that the Owls hope to compete with Penn’s athleticism throughout the match.

“Penn is a great team that has always had a pedigree of success,” coach Matt Gwilliam said. “They know how to win and they have “it””.

For the Owls, the Penn matchup is an exciting chance to play a night game in front of an away crowd that is just miles from Temple’s campus.

“We will be under the lights for the first time this season and that is exciting for us,” junior defender Karly O’Toole said.

Coming off of tough losses in their last two matches to two of Division I soccer’s better programs in Hofstra and James Madison, Temple hopes to match up better with Penn on Sunday.

“Penn is going to be a very fit and physical team that is good on the ball,” senior midfielder Jourdan Brill said.

-John Murrow

Men’s soccer looks for first win against James Madison

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Despite losing his first game of the season 1-0 to Virginia Tech, men’s soccer coach David MacWilliams said he was encouraged by his team’s play.

“I think we played extremely well,” MacWilliams said. “We just didn’t get any great chances.”

The Owls will now look to Sunday’s matchup against James Madison for their first win in 2012.

“We’re playing at their home field and they have a quality striker in [senior midfielder Paul] Wyatt,” MacWilliams said. “They scored six goals last night so I think it’s going to be a tough game for us.”

In what may have come as a surprising move to most people, sophomore goalie Dan Scheck got the starting nod over junior Bobby Rosato in the season opener. MacWilliams acknowledged that each were supposed to see action in the game, but Rosato was hurt during warm-ups.

“They both had great preseasons,” MacWilliams said. “They were both playing on the same level in my opinion. Scheck may have even been a little bit ahead.”

The 13th year head coach was not happy about the lone goal of the game. Virginia Tech’s Jed Prater was assessed with a penalty kick in the 55th minute after the Owls were called for a foul near the end line. Prater was able to slip the ball passed Scheck for the game-winner.

“I think the only person that thought it was a foul was the official who called it,” MacWilliams said.

The Owls look to bounce back against James Madison, who are coming off a lopsided 6-1 win over St. Bonaventure, today at 2:30 PM.

-Tyler Sablich

Field hockey in need of boost versus Rutgers

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After coming off two straight losses against Duke and Virginia, the field hockey team is looking to bounce back Sunday at 1 p.m. against Rutgers.

Coach Amanda Janney said that a win would be a big step.

“It would be huge,” Janney said. “Because if we don’t come out with a win, it kind of negates a little bit of our success this past weekend even though we didn’t win either day, we know that we played great.”

With the Owls looking to improve from last weekend, they are seeing a future conference opponent in Rutgers. Next season when Temple makes it all-sports move into the Big East, it will be joining Rutgers amongst many other teams.

Janney said that beating Big East teams such as Rutgers helps boost the confidence of younger players who will be in the new conference for the coming years.

“It’s perfect for their confidence, since they will have already seen a Big East team and they won’t be intimidated by them,” Janney said.

According to Janney, Rutgers has a similar playing style as many teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“Rutger is like many A-10 teams,” Janney said. “They’re scrappy and aggressive, and just not a very a pretty style of hockey, but it’s going to be an aggressive battle.”

With young aggressive players, such as freshman midfielder Taylor Shronk and sophomore forward Amber Youtz, the Owls are looking to out hustle Rutgers this Sunday.

-Colin Tansits