NEWARK, NJ – An NCAA bid could hang in the balance when Rutgers-Newark visits Montclair State on Wednesday night in the New Jersey Athletic Conference semifinals.

2013 NJAC Men's Soccer Bracket (PDF)

The match features two of the most potent attacks in the NCAA. The Scarlet Raiders rank third among Division III teams with 66 goals with the Red Hawks on their heels in fourth with 65. R-N junior forward Raphael Araujo is tied for second nationally in total goals with 26. Sophomore midfielder Lucas Terci is third in the division in assists with 17 with Raider freshman midfielder Anthony DeRisi in fourth with 16.

Set to be revised tomorrow, the NCAA South Atlantic Regional Rankings through last week have the Raiders at seventh in the region – behind three league foes in the battle for an NCAA berth. Unbeaten Rutgers-Camden tops the regional list followed in order by York PA, Montclair State, Eastern, Salisbury and The College of New Jersey. Rutgers-Newark is ranked behind TCNJ despite a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Lions on Alumni Field on October 5.

The third-seeded Raiders (16-4-1) fell to the second-seeded Red Hawks (15-2-2), 5-2, in the MSU Soccer Park on October 2, but Rutgers-Newark is 7-1-1 since that date with its only loss being a road setback to nationally-ranked Stevens.

TCNJ is at Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday in the other NJAC semifinal. The league championship match will be played on Saturday at the home field of the highest surviving seed – with the winner getting the conferences' automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

The Raiders need to reach the finals to have a chance at making the NCAA field by passing one or two NJAC foes – depending on results of tomorrow's regional poll. Rutgers-Newark is looking for its first bid to the national championship playoffs.

The Red Hawks have history and the home field on their side. Rutgers-Newark last beat Montclair State in 1983 with the Red Hawks compiling a 30-0-1 strangle hold since. The Raiders and Red Hawks battled to a 1-1 double-overtime tie in Montclair in 2001.

The teams have faced each other just once in post-season play when the Red Hawks downed Rutgers-Newark, 4-1, in the NJAC semifinals on Nov. 4, 2009, in Montclair when the Red Hawks were on their way to completing a string of four consecutive league championships.

Match time is 7 p.m. on Wednesday.