PITMAN—Top-seeded Rutgers-Camden defeated second-seeded Montclair State 1-0 to claim the 2011 NJAC Men’s Soccer Championship, giving the Scarlet Raptors their first men’s soccer conference title in program history. Selected to finish seventh in the preseason NJAC coaches poll, Camden produced a storybook conference season which saw them go undefeated during the NJAC regular season play (6-0-2) before producing back-to-back 1-0 wins over Rowan and Montclair State – two programs that had previously combined to win 24 NJAC titles. Next up for the Scarlet Raptors, an appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship via the NJAC’s automatic qualification.
CHAMPIONSHIP
RUTGERS-CAMDEN 1, MONTCLAIR STATE 0
CAMDEN--Rutgers University-Camden men’s soccer co-captain Chris Edelschein spent the first two years of his collegiate career winning New Jersey Athletic Conference championships at Montclair State University.
In a twist of fate here Saturday afternoon, it was Edelschein’s goal that brought down his former team and lifted Rutgers-Camden to a 1-0 victory for the first NJAC title in program history.
The senior midfielder headed in a restart from sophomore forward Mitch Grotti 13:19 into the second half as the Scarlet Raptors broke through to capture their first title after losing 1-0 decisions in the NJAC championship game in both 2005 and 2008.
The 2008 loss came against perennial power Montclair State, which won four straight titles from 2006-2009. Edelschein contributed to the Red Hawks’ 2007 and 2008 championships.
Rutgers-Camden, which was the top seed in the NJAC playoffs, improves to 16-2-2, tying its program record for wins set in 2008, and earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships, which begin next week. The Raptors, who will be making their second appearance in the NCAA tourney and first since 2008, will learn their opponent when the brackets are announced Monday afternoon.
Montclair State, the second seed in the NJAC tournament, falls to 15-3-3. The Red Hawks also await the NCAA selection show on Monday to see if they will earn an at-large berth.
Rutgers-Camden, which entered the game ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA Division III Top 25 poll and No. 13 in the d3soccer.com poll, improved its unbeaten streak to 14 games (12-0-2) while recording its fourth consecutive shutout. Scarlet Raptor senior goalie Tim VanLiew extended his current scoreless streak to 423:05 as he made four saves to notch his 10th shutout of the season. It was his 30th career shutout, extending his program record.
Montclair State, meanwhile, entered the game ranked No. 25 in the NSCAA poll and No. 21 in the d3soccer.com poll. The Red Hawks, who saw their seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) snapped, hadn’t lost a game since a 3-1 setback on the same field against the Scarlet Raptors Oct. 8. Montclair State also hadn’t dropped a NJAC playoff game since losing to Ramapo in 2005, going 10-0-1 in the conference tournament since that time.
In a matchup featuring two of the top teams in the country, let alone the NJAC, scoring opportunities were limited on both sides. Montclair State held a slight advantage in shots, 14-12. The Red Hawks held a 9-5 edge in the second half, with the bulk of that margin coming after falling behind by a goal.
Rutgers-Camden held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Locked in a scoreless battle, a Montclair State foul gave the Raptors a restart about 35 yards out on the right side of the field. Grotti sent the ball to the far left post, where Edelschein ran onto the play and headed in his second goal of the year.
Montclair State nearly tied the game with 6:45 remaining in regulation when senior Dan Hernandez sent a long ball toward the far right post. It just eluded the sliding foot of freshman Maxx Wurzburger.
Prior to Edelschein’s lone goal, Putmon barely missed breaking the scoreless game with a shot slightly over the crossbar in the 55th minute. The Red Hawks, meanwhile, had a near goal moments later when a shot by senior midfielder Kevin Zalewski just sailed over the bar.
SEMIFINALS
RUTGERS-CAMDEN 1, ROWAN 0
CAMDEN-- A key injury forced Taylor McGrory to step into a starting spot in the Rutgers University-Camden defensive unit for the New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s soccer semifinal game on November 2.
McGrory not only played a stellar role as one of the Raptors’ center backs, but he added the game-winning goal as well to lift the top-seeded Scarlet Raptors over No. 4 seed Rowan University, 1-0.
The Raptors, ranked 10th in the country, advance to Saturday’s conference championship game, where they will host second-seeded Montclair State University at 4 p.m. The Red Hawks blanked third-seeded William Paterson University, 2-0, in Wednesday’s other semifinal game.
It will be the Scarlet Raptors’ third trip to the NJAC finals. They lost 1-0 games against The College of New Jersey in 2005 and Montclair State in 2008.
McGrory, filling in for the sidelined NJAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Lanouette as one of the Raptors’ center backs, scored the game’s lone goal with 5:04 remaining in regulation. Following a throw-in, the team’s other center back, sophomore Bobby Foster sent a shot across the box toward the far right post. McGrory finished the play with his fourth goal of the season and the first game-winning goal of his career.
McGrory’s goal lifted the Raptors to 15-2-2 and extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games (11-0-2).
Rowan ends its season at 9-6-4.
The Scarlet Raptors had plenty of chances in a game where they threatened offensively most of the night. Rutgers-Camden held an 18-11 advantage in shots, but both teams had a few golden opportunities to score. Rutgers-Camden senior Tim VanLiew who was named the NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season, made five saves, including a stellar one-handed save against Rowan’s Joe Parella in the second half. His teammates also helped him out with a couple of backsaves as he notched the 29th shutout of his career.
Rowan sophomore Ryan Gill, meanwhile, had four saves and also watched the Raptors barely miss on a few prime chances, including a curving drive by Zaiere Putmon in the second half that sailed barely over the crossbar.
Most of the night, however, the Raptors’ defense of center backs McGrory and Foster and junior outside backs Brian Hill and Kevin Burke kept the Profs’ strikes limited to long-range shots.
Rutgers-Camden held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks in addition to its 18-11 margin in shots.
MONTCLAIR STATE 2, WILLIAM PATERSON 0
MONTCLAIR--Sophomore midfielder Dan Mednoza scored both goals in the first 3:10 of the second half snapping a scoreless game as second-seeded Montclair State moved into the championship game of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament with a 2-0 victory over third-seeded William Paterson at MSU Soccer Park on November 2.
Junior goalkeeper Anthony Rogic stopped six shots for his eighth shutout of the season as the Red Hawks (15-2-3) advanced to the conference title game for the fifth time in the last six years.
MSU, which lost to Rutgers-Camden and tied Rowan this season, will be seeking their 11th NJAC championship overall and fifth in the last six seasons.
Senior Zach Collins had three saves for William Paterson, which fell to 13-4-3 on the year. The Pioneers will be among the teams looking for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament when the bids are announced on Monday, November 7.
Montclair State got the better of its local rival for the second time this year as the Red Hawks also bested the Pioneers, 3-0 at Sprague Field on September 21. Much like that game, the first 45 minutes went scoreless as MSU outshot William Paterson 8-5.
In the second half, Mendoza, who had a goal and assist in that earlier contest, snapped the tie 47 seconds into the period with his 12th goal of the season blasting a shot from 22 yards out into the middle of the goal giving the Red Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Mendoza would strike again 2:23 later as a foul down near the 18 gave Montclair State a free kick. Mendoza struck a perfect shot off the restart putting Montclair State up two goals with 31:50 to play in the second half.
William Paterson would get a chance to get a goal back in the 55th minute as Matt Lopuski served a corner kick. Michael Encarnacion put forth a shot on goal however Rogic was able to snare the attempt as Montclair maintained its 2-0 lead.
Rogic would come up with another save at 68:38 denying Naeem Boucher on a header. He came up with one more save on Omar Jallow with 4:54 left.
The Red Hawks outshot the Pioneers, 14-12 while William Paterson had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
OPENING ROUND
WILLIAM PATERSON 2, RUTGERS-NEWARK 1 (OT)
NEWARK--Graduate student Joe Strawman scored both goals, including the game winner 2:48 into overtime, as third-seeded William Paterson defeated sixth-seeded Rutgers-Newark (11-8-2), 2-1, in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament on October 21. The Pioneers advance to play in the semifinals at second-seeded Montclair State on November 2 at 2:00 PM.
Just as they did during the teams’ regular-season meeting, the Scarlet Raiders scored early, as Ardian Djeka nailed a short header 3:03 into the contest off Nick Kyprianou’s free kick from 25 yards out.
Strawman evened the match less than 35 minutes later, cleaning up a driven ball by senior Domenick Candelieri that the Rutgers-Newark defense could not clear.
WP nearly took the lead with 1:46 remaining in overtime when it was awarded a penalty kick after a hand ball by the Scarlet Raiders in the box, but Anthony Ferrer’s attempt sailed well high of the crossbar.
Strawman’s fourth goal of the season was the deciding score, as he picked up a loose ball on the left side of the box and fired it off the inside of the right post.
WP’s Zach Collins made one save, and Matt Linberg had four for Rutgers-Newark.
Due to a snowstorm on October 29, the match was moved from William Paterson’s natural-grass Pioneer Soccer Park to the artificial turf of the Raiders’ Alumni Field.
ROWAN 0, RICHARD STOCKTON (2OT) (Rowan 4-3 Pks)
GLASSBORO--Rowan University advanced over Richard Stockton College, 4-3 on penalty kicks in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament on October 30.
The game was scoreless at the end of two overtime periods. The first round of penalty kicks ended in a 3-3 tie. Rowan goalkeeper Ryan Gill saved Richard Stockton’s sixth attempt. Profs’ forward Christian Fountain kicked the ball into the lower left corner of the net.
Rowan, the fourth seed, advances to the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Profs travel to the top seed Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday, November 2 at 7 p.m. Richard Stockton, the fifth seed, finishes the regular season with an 11-6-4 record. The other first round game between the third seed William Paterson University and the sixth seed Rutgers-Newark was postponed until Monday, October 31 due to inclement weather. The second seed Montclair State University received a first round bye.
Richard Stockton back Sal Pistone and forward Pat Rafferty each made a penalty kick to put the Ospreys in front 2-0. Rowan answered when back Zack Zahrend made his attempt. Back Brennen Fitzsimmons scored to give Richard Stockton a 3-1 advantage. On the Profs’ third attempt, midfielder Nick Bolton scored. On Rowan’s fifth try, forward Shane Kohler hit the left side of the net.
Rowan took 13 shots, while Richard Stockton had eight. Gill was in the Profs’ goal the entire game. Ospreys’ goalkeeper Lou Herring made three saves.