Philly Soccer 6 Honors

On Oct. 7 the following honors were named:
Co-players of the Week: Dylan Renna, Villanova / Jonny Dolezal, Penn
Defender of the Week: Dan Scheck, Temple
Rookie of the Week: Sam Hayward, Penn

The following honors were named on Oct. 14:
Player of the Week: Jason Plumhoff, La Salle
Defender of the Week: John McCarthy, La Salle
Rookie of the Week: John Jlopleh, Villanova

The following honors were named on Oct. 21:
Co-players of the Week: Jason Plumhoff, La Salle / Duke Lacroix, Penn
Defender of the Week: Andrew Weakly, Villanova
Rookie of the Week: Tyler Afflerbach, Drexel

Temple University (9-3-3)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 36

The Owls continue to shine nationally in their inaugural season in the American Athletic conference. Temple shutout city rival Drexel 2-0 on Oct. 5 with goals from Willie Chalfant and Vaughn Spurrier. Southern Methodist hosted the Owls on Oct. 9. Nolan Hemmer delivered a Texas road trip goal in the 68th minute to secure the overtime 1-1 draw. Temple squeaked out another 1-1 overtime draw on Oct. 12 against South Florida. Chas Wilson scored the equalizer in the 28th minute. The Owls extended their home unbeaten streak on Oct. 19 with a 2-1 win against University of Memphis. Robert Sagel and Jared Martinelli scored a goal apiece while goalkeeper Dan Scheck made 7 saves on Temple’s Alumni Day. Scheck earned his 8th shutout of the season in Wednesday night 1-0 win against Rutgers. Chas Wilson scored the sole goal of the match. Looking ahead, Temple travels to Central Florida on Oct. 27 and returns home to host Cincinnati on Nov. 2.

Villanova University (7-7-1)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 53

The Wildcats improve their RPI ranking while sitting in seventh place in the Big East conference. Villanova fell 1-0 in overtime against Marquette in their Oct. 5 conference opener. Seton Hall hosted the Wildcats on Oct. 9 at their South Orange, NJ campus. Colton Bryant scored Nova’s only goal in the 2-1 loss. The Wildcats found their first conference win at home against St. John’s on Oct. 12. Aaron Dennis and John Jlopleh each scored while goalkeeper Andrew Weakly made 8 saves to earn the 2-0 shutout. Villanova blanked Lehigh on Oct. 15 with a goal from Sean Sheridan. The Wildcats traveled to Omaha, Nebraska on Oct. 19 to face Creighton in front of 2,800 fans. Nova squeaked out the 1-0 win with a goal from Dylan Renna in the 100th minute. The Wildcats fell to Providence 2-1 on Wednesday night despite Andrew Weakly’s 10 saves and a goal from Chris Hill. Next on the schedule, the Wildcats face DePaul in Chicago on Oct. 26 and Xavier at home on Nov. 2.

Drexel University (7-6-2)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 71

The Dragons sit atop the CAA conference in first place with a 3-0-1 record. Drexel was blanked 2-0 by Temple on Oct. 5 and then 1-0 at Princeton on Oct. 8. The Dragons returned home to fight Northeastern to a scoreless draw on Oct. 12. UNCW was shutout 2-0 by Drexel on Oct. 16. John Grosh and Guido Pena earned goals while goalkeeper Tyler Afflerbach made 8 saves to secure the win. The Dragons earned a 2-1 road win at Delaware on Oct. 19 with goals from Michele Pataia and Nathan Page. Drexel fell 1-0 at Maryland on Oct. 22 in their final non-conference match of the season. On the horizon, the Dragons will face James Madison on Oct. 26 and Hofstra on Oct. 30.

University of Pennsylvania (5-6-1)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 89

The Quakers are tied for first place in the Ivy League conference with a 2-0-1 record. Penn blanked Cornell 1-0 in their conference opener on Oct. 5. Jonny Dolezal scored the sole goal of the match while goalkeeper Max Polkinhorne made 7 saves to secure the win. On Oct. 12 the Quakers traveled to New York to battle Columbia to a scoreless draw. They returned home on the 19th to host Dartmouth. Alec Neumann scored a goal and Duke Lacroix scored two to secure the shutout. Penn hosts Yale on Oct. 26 and Penn State on Oct. 29.

La Salle University (6-5-2)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 111

The Explorers lead the Atlantic 10 in first place with a 3-0 conference record. La Salle hosted Duquesne on Oct. 11. Goalkeeper John McCarthy’s 7 saves combined with goals from Joe Farrell, Jason Plumhoff and Rob Friskey earned the 3-1 win. The Explorers beat St. Bonaventure 2-1 on Oct. 13 with goals from Pat Sullivan and Jason Plumhoff. McCarthy secured a 2-0 shutout against Philly Soccer 6 rival St. Joseph’s on Oct. 18. Joe Farrell and Rob Friskey each scored a goal apiece. La Salle travels to Virginia to face VCU on Oct. 25 and George Mason on Oct. 27.

Saint Joseph’s University (2-6-5)
Current NCAA RPI Rank No. 164

The Hawks are off to a tough start in Atlantic 10 conference play. SJU was blanked 2-0 by St. Bonaventure on Oct. 11 and 3-0 by Duquesne on Oct. 13. The Hawks fell victim to a third shutout against city rival La Salle on Oct. 18. St. Joe’s hosts George Mason on Oct. 25 and VCU on Oct. 27.