Author Archives: Joey Cranney

Golf season opens with Navy Invitational

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The golf team opens up their fall season today with the Navy Invitational held at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Md.

Coach Brian Quinn said he’s excited to see his team perform under the pressure of a real tournament rather than just in practice rounds.

“I think we should be in good shape, I’m curious to see how we’re going to do being a late entry into this tournament,” Quinn said.

Senior Devin Bibeau has high goals set not only for himself, but for his team this weekend. Bibeau is the lone senior on the team and will be relied on to consistently put together low rounds while the younger talent develops.

“I’m hitting the ball well, I would love to win the tournament or at least finish high in the standings to start off the year on a good note,” Bibeau said. “The team is playing really well, nothing is stopping us from finishing high, with the day off for Labor Day we got some extra practice and hopefully we could all play to the level we are capable of.”

This weekend will be the first of many tests for the young Owls squad. The starting five golfers for the Owls this week will be Bibeau, junior Matt Crescenzo, sophomores Paul Carbone and Mike Amole and freshman Brandon Matthews.

-Anthony Bellino

Volleyball sets up against Indiana State

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Following a convincing 3-0 victory over Chicago State on Friday the Owls have their sights set on the first of their two remaining matchups Saturday in the Miami (OH) Invitational.

Temple takes the court against Indiana State at 1 p.m. looking to improve on its 5-3 record.

The Sycamores enter the game 1-6 after losing to Miami (OH) Friday night. Five of those losses, however, have come in the fifth set.

“I think we can definitely compete with them on offense,” coach Bakeer Ganes said Wednesday. “We just have to be smart about our shot selection.”

Ganes also hopes to get the junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia more involved after a disappointing Big 5 Tournament performance last weekend.

“I think it was a combination of different things,” Ganes said. “We really didn’t put her in a situation where she could be successful. [She] probably didn’t have the best weekend either, physically.”

-Jake Adams

Women’s soccer hosts Iona

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The women’s soccer team will look to capture its second win of the season on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Ambler Sports Complex against visiting Iona College at 4 p.m.

Entering Friday’s match, Temple comes in with a 1-3-1 record, while Iona will enter with a 1-2-1 record. Both of Iona’s losses have come on the road, while Temple’s lone win was at home.

With a slow start to the season, the Owls’ record has not indicated the way that the team has played, coach Matt Gwilliam said.

The Owls have lost three matches this season to Hofstra, James Madison and the University of Pennsylvania. With another tough match up against Iona on Friday, the Owls are hoping to put one in the win column, Gwilliam said.

“They are a really, really difficult team,” Gwilliam said. “They just had a big overtime win against Rhode Island and are really tough team.”

Gwilliam has yet to name a starting goalkeeper for Friday’s match. Coach Gwilliam pulled redshirt-senior goalkeeper Tara Murphy after allowing two goals 23 minutes apart in the 2-0 loss at Penn on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Freshman goalkeeper Shauni Kerkhoff replaced Murphy and earned her first collegiate save in the final 11 minutes of the Penn loss.

“We are just lacking in the cutting edge,” Gwilliam said. “We have done good things, but need to continue to work on the little things.”

-John Murrow

Volleyball begins weekend series

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The volleyball team is off to a 4-3 start this season heading into this weekend’s Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio.

The Owls begin their tournament slate with Chicago State (2-7) Friday evening before taking on Indiana State (1-6) and Miami (Ohio) (1-6) on Saturday.

On paper Temple matches up well against Chicago State, coach Bakeer Ganes said. The squad sports the Atlantic 10 Conference’s best dig rate, with 16.38 per set.

“I think we definitely have the advantage over them on defense,” Ganes said. “I think we move just a little bit better on defense.”

Offensively the Owls have more weapons, led by junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert’s 4.29 kills per set.

Ganes said the Cougars’ veteran depth, despite having several transfers, makes them dangerous.

“To be honest with you I don’t really know much about them because I never played them before,” he said.

Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.

-Jake Adams

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

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.

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