<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1jfJdg_0wEkCs0H00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1jfJdg_0wEkCs0H00" width="678" height="381" ><figcaption>Temple picked up its second straight win in a 1-0 victory against UAB on Saturday. | MYLES SMITH / THE TEMPLE NEWS</figcaption></figure>Through the first 57 minutes of Temple’s game against UAB Saturday, both teams were stuck at zero. The Owls broke a five-game winless streak during a two-goal win against Mercyhurst on Oct. 15, but it seemed like the Owls’ offense was having a reality check against the Blazers.Forward Xavier Rimpel was responsible for Temple’s best offensive performance with a goal and two assists against Villanova on Aug. 25 but had been without a goal since. Rimpel broke the ice following a left-foot strike to the opposite side of the net. The ball flew past UAB goalkeeper Jonathan Munteanu to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. Rimpel is now the only Owl to score more than one goal this season.The lone goal was enough to get Temple its second straight win and its first conference win of the season. Temple (4-6-4, 1-2-2 American Athletic Conference) beat UAB (4-4-4, 1-3-1 AAC) 1-0 on Saturday night at PNC Field. The Owls’ win matches its win total from last season with two games left in the season.“It doesn’t have to be perfect, we just have to take some chances,” said head coach Bryan Green. “[Xavier Rimpel’s] goal is a perfect example of that. He went for it and he was rewarded.”Temple hopped its offensive momentum from Tuesday would carry into its game against the Blazers. Instead, the Owls spent the first half kicking their feet. Midfielder Alex Champagne attempted to get Temple on the board but his shot was denied by Munteanu.Despite Temple applying pressure, it was UAB who got the upper hand. Blazers forward Tony Kim fired a shot in the eighth minute but it only managed to hit the right goalpost. UAB defender Gustavo Barbosa followed up less than a minute later, but his shot sailed above the goal to preserve the deadlock.The Blazers had seven first-half shots to keep Temple goalkeeper Andrew Kempe on his toes, but only one found the Owls keeper. Forward Isaac Calderon hurled a shot Kempe’s way he made a diving stop to record his only save of the first half. Temple struggled to start the offensive engine again with just three shots through the first 43 minutes. One came in the 35th minute off of their only corner kick of the half, when midfielder Jayden Jackson controlled the ball off the header, but his shot hooked right.The Owls continued to try and take the lead and fired off two shots before halftime. Rimpel had a shot in the 44th minute but it didn’t find the back of the net. Midfielder George Medill had a last-second attempt as time expired, but Munteanu made the stop to send the teams to the locker room scoreless.“We did a pretty good job at limiting them to not many high-percentage shots, but we also dodged a few bullets,” Green said. “Kempe made some pretty big saves but we were focused on limiting those high-percentage shots.”UAB came into the second half on fire, sending off four shots early on with two coming from Kim. However, the Blazers could not convert any of them. Despite the pressure from UAB, Temple created an offensive attack of its own. Medill had a shot in the 50th minute and midfielder Elias Betancourt followed up three minutes later with his own attempt, but neither got the Owls on the scoreboard. Rimpel finally got the best of Munteanu in the 57th minute. The shot found the bottom right of the net to put Temple in front 1-0.The Blazers immediately went back on the attack, searching for an equalizer. Kim had two more shots, neither being the answer UAB was looking for. Jackson and Betancourt attempted to double the Owls’ lead in the 59th minute but both were unsuccessful. Calderon created one of the best looks UAB got all night in the 66th minute as he pulled Kempe out of the goal. Defender Kemali Green stepped in for Kempe and made the save in his place. Calderon misfired again a few minutes later, leaving the Blazers stranded.Despite facing 18 shots, the Temple defense stood its ground to shut out the Blazers for its first conference win. The Owls offense managed to fire off 10 shots but only needed the one to get home to secure the victory. “We have a really good mentality now and we know what we need to get the wins,” Green said. “I think the biggest thing is we erased doubt that we can score.”The Owls return to the Temple Sports Complex to play FIU (4-4-4, 2-1-1 AAC) on Oct. 26th at 2 p.m.</div></body>

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Rimpel’s goal pushes Temple past UAB

Through the first 57 minutes of Temple’s game against UAB Saturday, both teams were stuck at zero. The Owls broke a five-game winless streak during a two-goal win against Mercyhurst on Oct. 15, but it seemed like the Owls’ offense was having a reality check against the Blazers.