NEWARK, NJ – Senior midfielder Gabriel Avans netted a penalty kick in the second half and freshman goalkeeper Matt Broomall made 10 saves to lift Rutgers-Newark to a 1-0 New Jersey Athletic Conference win over Rowan on Alumni Field.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

In a tightly-contested battle, it was a hand ball call in the box in the 69th minute which led to Avans' first penalty kick of the season.  He fired the shot into the lower left side for the lone goal of the match and his seventh tally of the season.

Broomall made seven of his 10 saves in the second half for his seventh shutout of the season while Prof senior Michael Fanz-Huster stopped three Raiders shots in the loss.

Rowan held a slim 15-12 edge in shots but a huge 10-4 advantage in shots on goal.  The Profs took four corner kicks to the Raiders' two.

After Avans' goal, the Profs got on-target shots from sophomore midfielder Shane Kohler, senior defender Jared Mangone and junior defender Chris Grammatico. 

Broomall stopped each attempt, but he drew a yellow card while picking up a through pass just outside the 18 on the left side in the 84th minute.  The Profs were called offsides on the ensuing free kick to kill their last best chance at the tie.

The Raiders (11-5-0, NJAC 4-3-0) extended their winning streak to a season's best six matches, including three in a row in the NJAC, while Rowan (6-7-2, NAJC 1-4-1) suffered its second straight 1-0 loss in league play.

The win puts Rutgers-Newark into a third-place tie in the NJAC race with Ramapo and Kean – teams which beat the Raiders head-to-head this season.  With two league matches remaining, the Raiders can lock up one of six NJAC Championship Tournament berths with a win in either contest.  A trip to William Paterson (5-6-1, NJAC 3-3-1) and a home contest against Richard Stockton (5-7-2, NJAC 2-5-1) remain on their conference slate.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Stevens on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on Alumni Field in a non-conference test before travelling to William Paterson on Saturday.