Heightened expectations surrounding men’s soccer

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Last year, men’s soccer exceeded expectations by finishing fourth in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference, despite being picked to finish last in an American coaches’ preseason poll.

This fall, coach Dave MacWilliams’ expectations are far greater.

“Our goal is to make the NCAA [tournament],” MacWilliams said.  “I’m going to be very disappointed if we don’t.”

The Owls finished 10-4-4 last season, primarily due to a defense that finished No. 10 in the nation in goals allowed per game (0.67).

Though Temple will lose two of its four regulars on the back line this year, MacWilliams feels that a strong recruiting class, ranked 19th in the nation via Collegesoccernews.com, will help fill some of those holes.

“With the recruiting class we have coming in, we feel pretty confident that these guys are going to play well,” MacWilliams said.  “How long will it take for them to meet the standards that we set?  That remains to be seen.”

MacWilliams added that the most concerning factor going into this season will be his team’s youth. 19 members of Temple’s squad are freshmen and sophomores, while the Owls feature just six seniors.

Because of Temple’s success last season, many teams, especially those in the conference, likely won’t take the Owls lightly in 2014.  It’s all part of MacWilliams’ plan for putting his program on the map.

“[Louisville and Connecticut] have a history behind them,” MacWilliams said.  “We didn’t have that history of upper echelon teams, and that’s what we’re trying to build here.”

O’Connor hires former colleague as assistant

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Former Chestnut Hill College men’s soccer coach Keith Cappo has been hired as women’s soccer assistant coach, per a Thursday press release.

Cappo ran Chestnut Hill’s men’s soccer program from 2010 to 2013, the first year in which he spent opposite Temple women’s soccer coach Seamus O’Connor, who led Chestnut Hill’s women’s team as head coach in 2010.

The two have a working history, as Cappo served under O’Connor as an assistant in the ’08 and ’09 seasons at Chestnut Hill, when O’Connor guided both the men’s and women’s programs as director of soccer. They also worked alongside each other when Chestnut Hill was still transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II in 2008.

In 2010, Cappo served as O’Connor’s assistant  with Philadelphia Liberty FC, a West Chester, Pa. based member of the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

Prior to his tenure at Chestnut Hill, Cappo coached in various capacities at the high school level with Thomas Edison and Bishop Denis J. O’Connell in 2004 to 2006. He also coached with The Shipley School from 2006 to 2008.

As a player, Cappo started for William Penn Charter’s varsity team for three years before a four-year playing career at The Catholic University of America, for which he led as captain in his final two seasons.

Cappo will first see regular-season action with the Owls Aug. 22 when Temple opens the season on the road against Binghamton University.

Walker joins notable names on Maxwell Award watch list

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P.J. Walker’s name graced the Maxwell Award watch list released Monday, joining 32 other quarterbacks of the initial group of 75 players to survive the initial cut.

Walker impressed as the starter in Temple’s final seven games as a true freshman last season, completing 60.8 percent of his passes with 20 touchdown strikes and eight interceptions. A 59-49 shootout defeat to Southern Methodist featured what was arguably Walker’s best performance of the season when the Elizabeth, N.J. native hit 26 of his 37 passing attempts with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

The rising sophomore marks the first Temple player on the Maxwell watch list since former running back Bernard Pierce made the extended list in October of 2011.

Walker joins a recognizable field of quarterbacks on the list, including UCLA’s Brett Hundley, defending national champion Jameis Winston of Florida State, Ohio State’s Braxton Miller and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg.

The list will be trimmed to semifinalists on Nov. 3 with a final crop of candidates determined Nov. 24.

Rick Brunson charged with attempted sexual assault, other charges

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Former Temple men’s basketball standout Rick Brunson was arrested for attempted criminal sexual assault in a Life Fitness on June 25 in Vernon Hills, Ill., a Chicago suburb nestled approximately 40 minutes northwest of the city.

Per a Vernon Hills police report, Brunson grabbed a female employee of the fitness center and was subsequently charged with attempted criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse and three counts of aggravated battery. According to the report, Brunson was held on $5,000 bail.

Ironically, the arrest was dated on the same day as a report that Brunson was a leading candidate for an assistant coaching position with Temple for the 2014-15 season. According to that report, Brunson was set to be introduced for the position at some point in July.

Brunson played under former Owls coach John Chaney from 1991-95, and has since worked in some capacity with three NBA clubs after his retirement from the NBA in 2006.

His son, Jalen Brunson, is a senior at Stephenson High School and is a notable Temple target. ESPN lists the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder as its No. 1 rated point guard in the country for the class of 2015.

Temple athletic cuts made official

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On Dec. 6, roughly 200 student-athletes were given the news that some would be playing their program’s final games in their following season. The aftermath was five months of advocating, fundraising and partial salvation.

However, as of July 1, the baseball, softball, men’s gymnastics and men’s indoor and outdoor track & field programs officially disappeared from Temple athletics.

Crew and Rowing, who were originally a part of the teams to be cut, evaded the decision following financial assistance from H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest and funding from the city.

Men’s gymnastics, while no longer a varsity Temple sport, will continue as a club sport, but will lose all scholarships and a sizeable amount of funding.

Temple’s cuts have continued the alarming precedent set by other ailing Division I programs who have opted to drop sports teams in order to free up money to fund higher revenue sports such as football and basketball.

E.J. Smith can be reached at esmith@temple.edu or on Twitter at @ejsmitty17.

Former Owls star Rick Brunson to join staff as assistant

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The men’s basketball team will bring back former Owls standout Rick Brunson as an assistant coach, per a Philly.com report Wednesday.

Brunson starred with the Owls under former coach John Chaney in the 1990s and later played professionally for nine different NBA clubs in a nine-year span. He has coached as an assistant on both the college and NBA level, most recently with the Charlotte Bobcats for the 2012-13 season.

As per formal procedure, the job opening was posted on both the NCAA’s career website and Temple’s Human Resources site Tuesday, and should be officially filled within the next month.

NCAA rules limit teams to a maximum of three assistant coaches. As Brunson is set to take an on-bench assistant coaching position, one of the three current assistants will be reassigned.

Brunson expressed interest in the Owls’ head coaching job in the wake of Chaney’s retirement in 2006, fresh off his NBA career.

Brunson’s son, Jalen Brunson, will be a senior at Stevenson High this fall as the nation’s No. 1 point guard in the class of 2015. The 6-foot-1, lefty point man is rated as a five-star recruit by ESPN, and is a top Temple target while also considering Villanova, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue.

He was part of a Team USA squad that swiped the Gold Medal at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Under-18 tournament on Tuesday night, averaging 12 points and 5.6 assists in five games.

Alum named to new Athletics posititon

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After a stint of nearly three years as the Business Manager for Temple Athletics, the department recently promoted the Temple alum (’08) to Associate Athletics Director for Finance and Administration.

A sport and recreation management major in his time at Temple, Theiss will serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the department, responsible in part for managing the university’s $44 million athletic budget as well as overseeing the athletics business office.

“Tim is an extremely hard worker, and has proven invaluable during his time here at Temple,” Vice President and Athletic Director Kevin Clark said in a statement. “His knowledge of the field, and of the inner-workings of Temple Athletics make him the perfect fit for the position.”

Before hiring on with the department in 2011, Theiss had held positions in the ticket and business offices at Rutgers and Villanova from his graduation in 2008.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” Theiss said, per press release, “and I’m excited to continue working for my alma mater.”

Five Owls featured in Women’s National Championship, Janney coached Eagles to title

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Team USA Eagles, led by Owls coach Amanda Janney in her first year as a United States High Performance head coach, took the title at the 2014 Women’s National Championship in Lancaster via a 2-1 shootout win against USA Freedom.

Featuring five players from Temple’s 2013 roster, the championship doubled as a tryout for the 2014-15 U.S. Women’s National Team.

Rising redshirt junior Haley Mitchell was in goal for USA White, along with rising senior Lizzy Millen netminding for USA Freedom.

Forwards Amber Youtz (rising senior) and Katie Foran (rising sophomore) played for USA Courage, while graduate defender Molly Doyle also played for USA Freedom.

Graduate assistant coach Danica Deckard also competed for USA Blue, and Kelly Driscoll served as assistant coach under Janney for the Eagles.

Temple has 12 players on high performance teams this summer, with Doyle, Foran,  Millen, Alyssa Delp, Amanda Fuertsch, Paige Gross, Nicole Kroener, Ali Meszaros, Taylor Shronk and Rachel Steinman on the Pennsylvania High Performance Training Squad. Youtz and Mitchell are on the New Jersey Sqaud.

“We’re proud of our players for making the commitment to compete at the next level,” Janney said in a press release. “The high number of Temple players who made [High Performance] teams speaks volumes to this team’s dedication to improve. We want our players to dream about making the USA National team, and HP gives them the opportunity to tryout each year.”

The squad will be returning to Lancaster in the coming months to open up Temple’s 2014 campaign with the Conference Cup Tournament at the end of August.

-Nick Tricome

Men’s soccer releases 2014 schedule

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Temple men’s soccer released their schedule for the 2014 fall season on Saturday.

The Owls will begin their season August 19 against Lafayette College at Ambler Sports Complex, a team they did not face last season.

 The opener kicks off a four-game homestand for the Owls, concluding with a match versus Sacramento State on August 31.  Temple finished with a home record of 7-1-2 last season.
After their opening homestand, the Owls will hit the road for four straight matches, starting with one at Penn State on September 5.  Temple finished with an away record of 3-3-2 last year.
The Owls will also face three teams from the Philadelphia Soccer Six this season: Penn and Drexel at home, and La Salle on the road.  Temple earned the title of Philadelphia Soccer Six Team of the Year last year, due in part to a 10-4-4 record, a surprise considering they were picked to finish last in the American Athletic Conference in a preseason poll.
Temple will face seven opponents from last year’s NCAA tournament, including in-state teams Penn State, Penn, and Drexel.  Their conference schedule begins September 27 at home against Cincinnati and continues through the end of the season, excluding a road match against Yale on October 14.

-Steve Bohnel

Player coaches make big impact at football camp

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Following an NCAA rule change, student-athletes were permitted to participate in university-affiliated camps for the first time this summer. When asked what the biggest contribution the player coaches were responsible for at their youth football camp on June 22, starting quarterback P.J. Walker made it plain and simple.

“Juice.”

“We call it the juice, we bring the energy to the camp. We’ve got guys jumping around like it’s an intense scrimmage. We had guys talking trash at lunch and had a great one-on-one drill because of it,” Walker said.

With a turnout of roughly 200 kids, the camp presented a bevy of players, from 11 year-old Bryant Rhule to heavily recruited upperclassmen.

With camps being held on the same day by numerous local schools including the University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers University and Penn State, getting quantity as well as quality can be a competition.

“There are a lot of one-day camps now, you have to really have a good camp the kids want to come to,” Head Coach Matt Rhule said.

The competition among the players was much greater than the fight for attendance however, most notably when the camp converged into one-on-one drills.

With a dozen player coaches giving pointers and loudly cheering on their respective positions, wide receivers ran routes against defensive backs, as the camp’s quarterbacks alongside Walker tried to find the openings.

The effort in the drill was attributed to the intensity of the player coaches by linebacker Tyler Matakevich.

“We just brought the energy, we tried to get on the guys a little bit,” Matakevich said. “Everyone is here trying to showcase their talent.”

Cornerback Anthony Robey, who attended a Temple football camp during his high school years, got to attend this camp as a redshirt senior player alongside a few of his hometown coaches.

“It was one of the most memorable, fun camps I had been to at the time.” Robey said, “it was really something to be here with some of my old coaches. It’s a nice feeling seeing them come back and acknowledging you. Now, just as they tried to help me get better in high school, I’m trying to help these kids get better as well.”

E.J. Smith can be reached at esmith@temple.edu or on Twitter @ejsmitty17