Author Archives: Joey Cranney

Volleyball hosts La Salle with playoffs on the line

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Sitting at 7-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference the Owls host La Salle (4-25, 0-13 in the A-10) at 5 p.m. at McGonigle Hall with their postseason fate in their own hands.

Temple hosts the Explorers Friday in the regular season finale, looking to make the conference tournament for the first time in three years. A win and they’re in.

But if Temple loses that’s when things get complicated.

Dayton, Xavier, Virginia Commonwealth University and Duquesne are already in the tournament. If the season ended now Temple and George Washington would be in as well. Rhode Island and Butler are fighting for those spots as well, at 6-7 each.

The Owls are 1-1 over URI and lost to Butler on Sunday. They also lost to George Washington, meaning the Owls must hope all three teams lose if they lose to ensure they make the tournament.

The tricky part is if Temple, Butler and George Washington lose and Rhode Island wins. Because the Owls and Rams are 1-1 against each other this season they move to the second tiebreaker, which is head-to-head set record. Temple won the first meeting 3-0 and lost the second 3-2, giving them a 5-3 advantage in the edge in the tiebreaker.

Temple’s match against La Salle is the only A-10 game on Friday. If they lose they will have a long weekend waiting to find out their fate.

Rhode Island heads to Fordham on Saturday to take on the Rams at 4 p.m. George Washington travels to Duquesne on Saturday at 4 p.m. as well. The Colonials faced the Dukes once before this season, winning 3-1 at home on Oct. 5. Butler hosts Saint Louis at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs lost their first matchup of the season in St. Louis 3-1.

Obviously none of that matters if the Owls take care of business on Friday, but if they aren’t able to they will likely spend Saturday watching nervously.

This is the third matchup between Temple and La Salle this season. Temple swept La Salle in straight sets in the finale of the Big 5 Tournament in September. Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the match with 12 kills.

In the A-10 season rematch the Owls swept them again, this time off the combination of junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia’s 15 kills and Burkert’s 11.

–Jake Adams

Mahoney places first at regionals, qualifies for nationals

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Redshirt senior Travis Mahoney won the men’s 8K NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional earlier today at Penn State, just two weeks after winning the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Mahoney’s finish qualifies him for the NCAA Championships, which will be held on Nov. 19 at Louisville University. The race will mark his final meet as a Temple Owl.

Mahoney last raced in the regional event during his junior year when he placed 66th overall. He is the first regional champion in the eight years the program has participated since being brought back to the university in 2005.

-Avery Maehrer

VCU stuns men’s soccer, ends season

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In a first round match-up of the Atlantic 10 Conference playoffs against No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth University, the men’s soccer team was able to keep the Rams’ potent offense off the board until the final minute of the game, but the Owls’ effort wasn’t enough.

With 44 seconds remaining in the game, VCU sophomore midfielder Mario Herrera Meraz stunned the Owls with a game-winning goal, ending Temple’s season.

Sophomore goalie Dan Scheck received his fourth straight start in the opening round. Though VCU controlled the ball for much of the game, Scheck helped eliminate any offensive opportunity until the game’s final minute. After Meraz’s goal, a defeated Scheck pounded the turf in frustration.

While it was Meraz who led the Rams in shots, forward Jason Johnson gave the Owls fits all night. Johnson, fresh off his newly acquired Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year award, drew special attention from Temple’s defense throughout all 90 minutes of the opener.

About midway through the second half, Johnson went down in a heap following a VCU corner kick. After being helped off the field, Johnson was immediately substituted back into the game. No foul was called.

The Owls, who struggled offensively all night, mustered very few shots. Senior midfielder Cody Calafiore led Temple in shots with three, one of which landed on net.

The first half was back and forth for both squads, with neither team having any significant scoring chances. The second half was a different story, however. VCU heavily controlled possession of the ball, not allowing Temple to get anything remotely going on offense. As the clock dwindled down to the final minutes of regulation, the Rams picked up the tempo, making it clear they had no intention of going to overtime with the underdog Owls.

VCU’s senior goalie Clark Hankins pushed the ball up field, setting his squad in motion to notch the game-winner. Hankins needed only two saves to record the shutout.

Temple coach Dave MacWilliams and players weren’t made available for comment following the loss.

With the loss, the Owls 2012 season is officially in the books. This years A-10 tournament features three nationally ranked squads, and another that was just recently ousted from the Top 25. Temple’s struggle to beat above .500 teams continued beyond the regular season.

-Tyler Sablich

Three Owls earn honors for men’s soccer

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Roughly 24 hours before the men’s soccer team’s first round Atlantic 10 Conference tournament commences, three Owls have earned conference honors.

Freshman midfielder Jared Martinelli was named A-10 Conference Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie Team. Martinelli’s 28 points this year ranks 8th all-time in a season for Temple. He is Temple’s first A-10 Rookie of the Year since Chris Cotton won in 1990. With nine goals and 10 assists, Martinelli is one goal away from becoming Temple’s first 10-goal/10-assist scorer in program history.

Other postseason awards amassed by Temple came in the form of senior midfielder Cody Calafiore and junior midfielder Vaughn Spurrier.

Calafiore has been tabbed to the All-Conference second team. Back in 2010, he was named to the All-Conference first team. In 2012, Calafiore ranks second on the team in points with 14 – four goals and six assists.

Spurrier has been named to the A-10 All-Academic team for the first time in his collegiate career after amounting a 3.65 grade point average in biophysics. He and Martinelli have combined for the most assists in a single season in Temple history with 20 helpers.

Fresh off their newly announced achievements, the Owls will face No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth University Thursday at 5 p.m. in Charlotte, N.C. in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. Temple will have a tough task containing junior forward Jason Johnson. Johnson was named A-10 Offensive Player of the Year after totaling 32 points — 13 goals and six assists.

-Tyler Sablich

Volleyball sets up for crucial A-10 match against Butler

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With two games remaining in the Atlantic 10 Conference season, the Owls (17-9, 7-5 in A-10) head to Butler (15-11, 5-7 in A-10) to take on the Bulldogs with playoff berths on the line.

It’s the two programs only match as conference foes, as Butler joined the A-10 this season and the Owls scheduled to move to the Big East Conference next season.

A victory for Temple secures the Owls one of the six playoff seeds in the A-10 tournament. If the Bulldogs come out on top they stay alive with a chance to unseat Temple, Duquesne or George Washington if they win their final match and get some help along the way.

A Temple victory would be ideal but the Owls also have a match against La Salle, keeping their fate in their own hands.

The match is set to begin at noon.

-Jake Adams

Men’s soccer hosts final regular season game

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The men’s soccer team’s regular season finale against St. Joseph’s University will be looked at to gain momentum and confidence heading into the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament next weekend.

“You want to keep moving forward and you want to keep winning games,” coach Dave MacWilliams said. “We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we’ve talked to the guys and we know they’re ready for it.”

The Owls, who are currently 9-5-3 with an in-conference record of 5-1-2, will honor their four seniors before tomorrow’s match-up. Midfielders Cody Calafiore, Homero Rodriquez and Andrew Dodds, along with defender Billy Kappock, will be sent off properly in their final regular season game as Owls.

“The toughest thing for me as a coach is that you develop relationships with four quality young men,” MacWilliams said. “All of a sudden it’s over, and it goes quick. I keep preaching that four years of college really go quick, so you want to try and make the best of it.”

Temple currently ranks fourth in the A-10. If play had ended today, the Owls would be taking on No. 17 Xavier in the first round of the tournament. But first, MacWilliams has his focus set on tomorrow’s City 6 match.

“I watched [St. Joe’s] play and they’re a pretty competitive team,” MacWilliams said. “Although they haven’t gotten the results, they’ve played some quality soccer.”

Tomorrow’s finale against the Hawks, who are ranked dead last in the A-10, will begin at 1 p.m.

-Tyler Sablich

Field hockey season ends in loss to Massachusetts

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The field hockey team’s season came to an end today when the Owls lost to Massachusetts in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championships by a final score of 5-2.

Massachusetts was able to get many different players involved in the game, with four different players scoring their five goals.

This was Temple second loss to the Minutewomen this year, after losing last weekend 4-1.

The Owls jumped out to an early lead behind a goal from senior forward Katie Briglia. It was Briglia’s seventh goal of the year and it came off a penalty corner set up by junior defender Mandi Shearer.

Massachusetts responded in the 15th minute with sophomore midfielder Renee Suter scoring a goal off a pass from junior forward Alyssa Ineson.

In the 20th minute, senior defender Thando Zono began to take over. The South African native scored a goal on a penalty corner, putting the Massachusetts lead up to 2-1.

Five minutes later, senior midfielder Kim Young took a pass from Zono into the circle and scored, giving the Minutewomen a 3-1 lead that they carried into the half.

Sophomore forward Amber Youtz helped to narrow the two point gap by taking a pass from Shearer and scoring a goal early in the second half.

Only minutes after Youtz’s goal, it looked as though the Owls had tied the game 3-3. Temple crowded the circle with an attack, and a shot ricocheted in.

But shortly after, the officials ruled the ball bounced off sophomore midfielder Nicole Kroener’s foot before crossing the line.

After the disallowed goal the Minutewomen scored quickly, squashing any momentum Temple had and widening the margin to two.

Senior forward Nicole Cordero scored after save by sophomore goalkeeper Lizzy Millen bounced off her and onto the stick of Cordero, who tipped it into the cage for a 4-2 UMass lead in the 49th minute.

With a two-point lead, the Minutewomen never looked back. Zono capped off the game, scoring her second goal of the game off a penalty corner.

Massachusetts advances to the A-10 final against top-seeded Richmond.

-Colin Tansits

Volleyball fights for playoff spot

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The Owls head west this weekend looking to secure one of the final spots in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.

Temple sits at 6-5 in the conference, in a three-way tie with Duquesne and George Washington. If the season ended today, they would be the fifth seed.

The Owls take on Saint Louis (8-17, 3-8 in A-10) to kick off the weekend. A win would knock out the Billikens, who need to win their final three contests and hope Temple loses all of theirs in order to have a shot at the final seed.

A Temple victory also keeps them two games ahead of Fordham (with the head-to-head tiebreaker) and a game ahead of Rhode Island, who both stand at 5-6.

Temple hasn’t made the tournament since 2009 under former coach Bob Bertucci. Bertucci’s final season in 2010 snapped a streak of 14 consecutive seasons in the conference playoffs.

The match against Saint Louis starts at 8 p.m.

-Jake Adams

Field hockey faces Massachusetts in first round of A-10 Championships

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For the fourth year in a row the field hockey team is headed to the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships, and tomorrow the Owls will face No. 18 Massachusetts in the first round.

The tournament’s second seed, Massachusetts is 12-8 overall and 6-1 in the A-10, with its only loss coming against Richmond.

Temple comes into the game with a 12-8 record and a 5-2 in conference record, with losses to Richmond and Massachusetts in the Owls’ conference games.

Last weekend the Owls took on Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. and lost 4-1.

In the game Temple’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Amber Youtz, was shut out and the Owls’ only goal came off a penalty corner from sophomore midfielder Nicole Kroener.

The Minutewomen were able to jump out early in the game with two goals from senior midfielder Kim Young, and a goal from freshman midfielder Noralie Weusthius.

But the Owls are looking to repeat last year’s A-10 playoff performance, where they were able to shut out Massachusetts in the first round and win 4-0.

In last year’s contest Youtz was able to jumpstart the Temple offense with a goal in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Massachusetts will be riding on the back of their leading scorer Young, who has 11 goals and five assists on the year.

Senior forward Nicole Cordero will also be looking to exploit a Temple defense that has yet to shut out a team this season.

The Owls will be leaning on their forwards to put points on the board in what could be their last game in the A-10.

-Colin Tansits

Youtz named A-10 Offensive Player of the Year

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As the Atlantic 10 Conference handed out field hockey awards today before the conference playoffs, Temple had four players honored.

Senior midfielder Katie Briglia earned her third A-10 First Team Honor, and freshmen forward Alyssa Delp and midfielder Taylor Schronk earned A-10 All Rookie Honors.

But headlining it all was sophomore forward Amber Youtz.

Youtz received the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award, along with being named to the A-10 First Team.

The sophomore ranks among the nation’s leaders in both goals and points. Her team and league-best 21 goals ranks sixth in NCAA Division I with 1.05 goals per game, and her team and league-best 52 total points rank seventh in the nation with 2.60 points per game.

Youtz is tied for fifth all-time at Temple for goals in a single season, and is tied for sixth all-time in points in a season.

Along with the on the field accolades, Briglia was selected to the A-10 All Academic Team. She is majoring in broadcasting, telecommunications and mass media, and has a 3.68 grade point average.

By the Numbers:

21 – Youtz’s 21 goals are the most scored by a Temple player in a single season since Caroline McWilliams in 1980.

52 – Youtz’s 52 points are tied for fifth in Temple’s all time rankings for a single season. The last time a player scored 52 points for the Owls was in 1991.

11 – Briglia currently has 11 assists on this season and is one assist away from being tied for seventh in Temple’s all time rankings for assists for one season.

16 – Youtz is only 16 points away from cracking Temple’s Top 10 all time scorers list.

-Colin Tansits