Men's Soccer Bursts Out for 3-2 Win Over Temple

Tuesday, September 13

Vidas Field

7:00

Drexel University

1-2-2

Temple

4-2-0

OT 2

Temple

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Men's Soccer Bursts Out for 3-2 Win Over Temple

9/13/2016 9:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – In front of an electric crowd at Vidas Field on Tuesday night, the Drexel men's soccer team captured its first win of the season in dramatic fashion, defeating Temple in overtime, 3-2. Drexel got the game-winning goal from Carlos Cuevas, whose goal in the 97th minute provided the capper to an exciting back-and-forth contest between Philadelphia Soccer Six foes.

Drexel (1-2-2) had its highest scoring output of the season with its three goals. The Dragons had to overcome a high-powered Temple offense which scored just four minutes into the game and had an answer when the Dragons took a brief lead in the first half. Colin McGlynn assisted on the game-winner after scoring a goal of his own in the 17th minute. Ilai Shvika also scored for Drexel, becoming the first Dragon with multiple goals this season.

Senior goalkeeper Tyler Afflerbach had an outstanding game, particularly in the second half as the Dragons and Owls did not score after four combined goals in the first half. Afflerbach had just three saves, but made two in quick succession late in the second half as Temple's Kevin Klett and Albert Moreno freed themselves up for open looks. Klett's shot was from Afflerbach's right, and the goalkeeper deflected it away in the direction of Moreno, who lined up a low shot that the senior was able to handle.

Moments later, Temple's Jorge Gomez Sanchez brought the ball into the box on a pseudo breakaway. With only Afflerbach to beat, the leading goal scorer in the city – with two goals already on Tuesday night – could not get a comfortable look as Afflerbach slid in and reeled in the ball, preventing Gomez Sanchez from getting off so much as a shot.

Once the game went to overtime, the teams fought back and forth, both teams playing at high speed but neither able to really threaten until the Dragons' converted on the game's final sequence. In the 97th minute, Xavier Bou Hernandez brought the ball upfield and sent it into the box to McGlynn. McGlynn hesitated, drew his defender out, then calmly fed his freshman teammate Cuevas who was streaking up the middle. Cuevas redirected the pass and sent it beyond the reach of Temple goalkeeper Alex Cagle for his first collegiate goal and the game-winner the Dragons craved.

Though Afflerbach and Cuevas provided the late-game heroics, the Dragons would not have been in that position if not for a resilient offensive showing in the first half. Just four minutes into the game, Drexel found itself in a hole after Joonas Jokinen dished a pass off to Gomez Sanchez. Jokinen had brought the ball deep into the box and drawn Afflerbach's attention enough that Gomez Sanchez had a clean look at the back of the net, and he made it count.

Trailing by a goal and with just two scores to its credit all season at that point, the Drexel offense went to work. In the 17th minute, Hernandez and McGlynn teamed for a goal that looked similar to the Owls' score. Hernandez brought the ball far into the right side of the box. Now beyond the defense, Hernandez sent the ball backwards to McGlynn coming up the middle. He poked it home to even the score.

Just 12 minutes later, Drexel took its first lead of the 2016 season. It came off a corner, with Dakota Peterson sending the ball into the mixer where it fell and was jostled around momentarily. Temple was unable to clear it out, and Ilai Shvika got to it before anyone else could gain control. His goal was the second of the year for the sophomore out of Israel.

Temple would get back even in the 36th minute when Jokinen and Gomez Sanchez hooked up for a second time, this one a sliding goal that was Gomez Sanchez's sixth of the season.

Armin Efendic did not figure in the scoring for Drexel, but provided strong pressure on Temple in the second half when both teams were struggling to find an offensive flow. Efendic led the team with three shots including one on goal. Aaron Thompson had two shots including a rocket towards the end of the second half that was just a few feet wide on the left side.

With a win now under their belt, the Dragons will turn their attention to the Colonial Athletic Association. Drexel hits the road on Saturday afternoon to take on Northeastern in the team's conference opener. That game kicks off at 6:00 p.m.