NJAC Release | Schedule

PITMAN, N.J. (August 16, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's soccer team was picked to finish ninth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) according to a poll of the conference's head coaches, it was announced early Wednesday by the league office.
 
The College of New Jersey topped the poll with eight first-place votes and the Lions were followed by Rowan University in second. Montclair State University, Kean University (dark horse) and Stockton University rounded out the top five, while William Paterson, Ramapo College, Rutgers University-Camden, Rutgers-Newark and New Jersey City University followed.
 
TCNJ won the 2016 NJAC regular-season title, while Rowan won the league's tournament championship.
 
The 24th season of NJAC women's soccer will kick off on Friday, September 1 with seven league teams in non-conference action. The first conference matches of the season will take place just 15 days later on Saturday, September 16.
 
The top six regular season finishers will advance to the NJAC Championship Tournament which will begin with first round action on Saturday, October 28. The NJAC Tournament semifinals will be conducted on Tuesday, October 31, and the league championship match will be played at the site of the highest remaining seed on Friday, November 3. The winner of the NJAC Tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
 
Third-year Head Coach Ariana Ruela will hope to guide the Scarlet Raiders to a bounce-back season after a tough 2016 campaign. In her first season (2015), Rutgers-Newark went 15-9-1 and won its first-ever NJAC Tournament match, reaching the title game of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Championship for a second-straight season.
 
R-N graduated only two players from its 2016 team so the Scarlet Raiders will be much more experienced in 2017.
 
Newark begins preseason practice on August 19 and gets the season started on Friday, September 1 against the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Alumni Field.
 
Fans should follow @ScarletRaiders on twitter for the latest on Rutgers-Newark women's soccer all season long.