CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  No. 3 seed USF and No. 5 seed Temple earned victories in the first round matches of the 2019 American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday night, and will advance to next week’s semifinals.
 
The semifinals will be held at the UCF Soccer & Track Complex in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The Bulls will meet No. 2 seed SMU at 4:30 p.m. ET, and Temple will square off with top-seeded UCF immediately following at approximately 7 p.m. ET. Both games will be available live on Facebook via the American Digital Network.
 
Temple completed the full comeback at No. 4 seed Memphis, overcoming a 0-1 deficit to claim the program’s first-ever American Championship victory by a 2-1 final. Sam Ashton put the Tigers on the board quickly, burying the assist from Christoforos Kourtis in the 25^th minute. That score would hold until the 89^th minute, when Esteban Suarez blasted home the give from Lukas Fernandes, knotting the score at one before Jalen Campbell did the honors in double overtime. The sophomore connected on a loose ball following a corner kick to secure the golden goal.
 
The Owls controlled possession in the second half, and finished with 17 shots to Memphis’ 11. Goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre made six saves, including two in the overtime periods to keep Temple within reach.
 
In Tampa, the Bulls received the only necessary goal in the second half to dispatch No. 6 seed UConn, 1-0. Adrian Billhardt netted his fifth goal in as many outings, finishing off the defensive takeaway from Henrique Gallina and subsequent pass by Victor Claudel.
 
UConn outshot USF 11-5, with the Huskies putting three shots on goal to the Bulls’ two. USF goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares picked up his fifth clean sheet of the season, turning aside all three shots he faced. USF advances to the semifinals for the fourth time, seeking its second American Athletic Conference title.
 
The Bulls and Owls both look for their first wins over the top two seeds on the year, as SMU defeated USF 3-0 in Tampa and UCF downed Temple 2-0 in Orlando during the regular season.
 
Live coverage will be available throughout the championship at TheAmerican.org/MSoccer and on the conference’s social media platforms: @American_MSoc on Twitter and American_Conf on Facebook.
 
2019 American Athletic Conference
Men’s Soccer Championship
 
Saturday, Nov. 9 – First Round
Hosted at campus sites
Game 1: No. 3 USF 1, No. 6 UConn 0
Game 2: No. 5 Temple 2, No. 4 Memphis 1 (2OT)
 
Wednesday, Nov. 13 – Semifinals
Hosted by UCF – American Digital Network
Game 3: No. 3 USF vs. No. 2 SMU – 4:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: No. 5 Temple vs. No. 1 UCF – 7 p.m. ET
 
Saturday, Nov. 16 – Championship
Hosted by UCF – ESPN3
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 7 p.m. ET