Going into Saturday night, Temple men’s soccer had never beaten a top five team.
That changed against No. 2-ranked SMU in a wild game that saw three red cards, a penalty and the Owls walking off the field with a skip in their step and a 2-0 win.
“The guys were focused and ready to go and put in maybe our most complete performance,” head coach Brian Rowland was quoted saying after the match. “From that standpoint I didn’t feel like beating the number two team in the country was something we couldn’t accomplish.
The Owls were on a three-game losing streak after beating South Florida on the road to start the campaign, in danger of falling out of contention for postseason American Athletic play.