NEWARK, N.J. – The showdown with neighboring rival Steven has been cancelled and Rutgers University-Newark has its sights set firmly on the two remaining New Jersey Athletic Conference matches.
 
Torrential rain and lightning ended the battle between the Scarlet Raiders (14-3-0, NJAC 6-1-0) and the Ducks (10-3-1) just 18 minutes into the contest which was the NSCAA TV Small College Game of the Week.  The opportunity for some national exposure for the teams was washed away and forecasts for a return of heavy rains accompanying the Nor'easter that is churning off the New Jersey Coast forced an end to hopes to reset the match for tonight on Alumni Field.
 
The cancellation could be a blessing in disguise.
 
The Raiders travel to defending NJAC champion Rutgers-Camden (9-7-0, NJAC 5-2-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a chance to lock up a first-round bye in the upcoming conference championship tournament.  It will be Senior Day on the RUC Community Park pitch for the Scarlet Raptors who lurk a game behind Rutgers-Newark in the NJAC standings.  Montclair State (14-3-0, NJAC 7-0-0) stands alone at the top of the conference with Kean (10-5-1, NJAC 4-3-0), the team which upended the Raiders in double overtime, 3-2, on Saturday, in sole possession of fourth place.
 
A Rutgers-Newark win over Rutgers-Camden would secure no worse than a second-place regular-season finish for the Raiders – and open the opportunity for the Raiders to finish ahead of the Red Hawks in the final standings.  Rutgers-Newark hosts Montclair State in the regular season finale on October 29.  Back-to-back wins over the Scarlet Raptors and the Red Hawks would give the Raiders their first-ever regular season championship.
 
Results in the Raiders' final two matches will also impact the chances for each of the three teams in chances for an NCAA Championship Tournament at-large berth.  The NJAC playoff winner earns an automatic bid to the national tournament.  Last fall, Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers-Camden and Montclair State went to the NCAA playoffs.
 
Rutgers-Newark fell out of the NSCAA/Continental Tire and D3Soccer.com national rankings on Tuesday after historically entering both rankings during the previous week based on a school-record 14-match winning streak.  The Raiders slipped to sixth place in the NSCAA South Atlantic rankings – one slot behind Montclair State – in the highly-regarded poll.