FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) season looming, Head Coach
Carl Rees looked forward to having one more opportunity to fine tune his lineup before facing the rigors of the conference slate. The problem was the team had to do that tune up against Temple University, a quality side that would test the Stags on both ends of the pitch.
Rees tinkered with the lineup and the result was a good one as the Fairfield University men's soccer team handed the visiting team a 2-0 setback at Lessing Field on Saturday night. The victory came about because of another collective team effort with
Don-Junior Bobe and
Ben Wignall providing the goals while the defense kept Temple to just five shots through the 90-minute game.
"All of these non-conference games provide us with teaching moments," Rees said. "We need to know about our team before we start conference play. Therefore we needed to know if certain players could play certain positions against top opposition. And now we (coaches) know and now the players know that they can succeed at this level and that is absolutely crucial going into conference play."
The Stags faced a challenging attack from Temple who found ways to keep pressure up front but had trouble with open space once their attackers moved inside the 18-yard box. Fairfield's back four kept the frustration level high for the Owls and yielded one true scoring chance midway through the first half.
With 13 minutes remaining in the half, Hermann Doerner found his way inside the box and free enough to collect a ball 10 yards from goal. The junior unleashed a shot that seemed spot on for the far corner but a diving effort by Fairfield goalkeeper
Gordon Botterill turned the ball aside and out of danger.
After managing just one shot in the first half, Fairfield came out of the locker room and seemed to be the aggressor from the start of the second half. Like their opponent in the first half, the Stags controlled the pace after halftime but had difficulty finding quality shots once inside the final third. That is until the Stags were awarded a corner kick in the 55th minute.
Freshman
Matt McGlinchey inserted the ball on a low line drive that provided little reaction time for the Temple defense. As the ball was kicked,
Don-Junior Bobe made a brilliant run from right side to center and finished the play with a diving header that redirected the ball into the far corner, pushing Fairfield in the lead.
Temple once again found its commitment and moved forward with the hope of tying the game. But each attack was met by the Fairfield backs and each time the ball was cleared from danger. With the game winding down, Fairfield ended all comeback hopes when
Diego Casielles, who missed most of the non-conference slate, fed a pass to
Ben Wignall who found space centrally. He beat his defender and released a shot that found the far corner and improved the lead to 2-0.
"Diego has been dynamite and tonight he played a full 90 on a fast paced game," Rees said. "What he brings to the game is technically is that he can connect. He allows us to maintain ball possession with penetration that prevents the opponent from coming at us. Some of the best defenders are guys that never give the ball away and Diego is one of those players."
The final five minutes were uneventful and time expired without Botterill being forced to make a save in the closing minutes, sending the Stags to their fourth non-conference win.
"This was a challenging game against a side that beat us last year," Rees said.We had several positional switches tonight and they got the job done. Individual and collective defending was exceptional at times in the middle of the midfield and we scored critical goals tonight. This team keeps showing this desire to win. There are times when they really show resilience."
Fairfield will have a 10-day layoff before returning to the pitch for their MAAC opener at Quinnipiac University on September 27.
