A day after the Wildcats’ 5-2 loss to College Station A&M Consolidated earlier this month, Corley made his team watch tape.
So there the Wildcats sat, watching replays of every goal scored against them this season. And after watching those 31 goals allowed, a common thread emerged.
“Mostly backside runners left open, just a small mistake that cost us,” goalkeeper Matt Elliott said.
It’s not as if the Wildcats’ defense has been a problem this season - far from it.
Temple (21-2-3) has allowed just more than a goal per game this season. But the Wildcats have made just enough mistakes to occassionaly draw Corley’s ire.
In Temple’s Class 5A area-round playoff game against Klein Collins (13-7-4) at 8 p.m. today at Hohlt Park, one mistake could spell the end of the season.
The Wildcats certainly know that.
“Hopefully now they understand there were 128 teams that entered the 5A playoffs and now there’s only 64,” Corley said. “Hopefully they’ll get the point that teams are being eliminated and if we keep making those mistakes we’ll be one of them.”
Temple faces a tough task in stopping Collins, the District 16-5A runner-up.
But after facing an aggressive three-forward offense in a 3-2 home win over Cedar Park on Tuesday, the Wildcats are confident they can shut down tougher competition.
“We always play aggressive in the back,” senior defender Chase Moore said. “We’re not intimidated. We saw three forwards last game (against Cedar Park) and they (Collins) will play two, so I think it should be pretty easy to contain.”
The Wildcats’ defenders - Moore, Ethan Henderson, Garrett Walsingham and Gilberto Vera - shut down Cedar Park for most of Tuesday’s game.
Elliott made several diving, goal-saving stops and the defense tightened, especially as Cedar Park crowded the box in the final minutes trying to for the tying goal.
One of the Timberwovles’ two goals came on a penalty kick. The other came on a shot from nearly 20 yards out.
The Wildcats appear to have taken Corley’s message to heart. After allowing five goals to A&M Consolidated, Temple blanked Bryan for one of its seven shutouts.
But against Collins, led by 17-goal scorer Wes Valentine, the Wildcats likely will face one of the best teams they’ve seen all season.
“It’s to a point now where you’re going to face teams that are better than you,” Corley said. “You’re going to face teams that are just overall better.
“Mistakes, missed clearances in the back . . . it’s a personal mistake, but it affects everybody on the field. Those little mistakes cost everybody."
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
