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