Postgame Interview | Game Preview | All-NJAC Teams
GLASSBORO, N.J. (November 4, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team won its first-ever New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament title Saturday night with a thrilling 1-0 win over sixth-ranked and top-seeded Rowan University.
With a shade more than 11 minutes remaining in regulation the Scarlet Raiders flipped the field on the Profs, eventually getting a foul called several feet off the endline and just outside the right side of the box. Sophomore forward
Fabio De Sousa stepped up to the free kick and lofted a service at the far post, and there waiting was senior midfielder
Hubert Dul who headed home the championship-winner. The goal was the seventh of the season for Dul who was named the NJAC Midfielder of the Year on Wednesday, and the assist was the seventh of the season for De Sousa who was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Rutgers-Newark improves to 20-2-0 overall and advances to its second-straight NCAA Tournament and fourth in five years. The Scarlet Raiders will be looking for another deep run on the national stage after reaching the 'Elite Eight' of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Rowan falls to 17-3-1 and should get an at-large berth to the tournament when the NCAA releases the field and matchups early Monday afternoon. The automatic berth for R-N is also a first in program history.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Andres Medina and the Rutgers-Newark defense were splendid throughout the match, keeping one of the top scoring offenses in the entire nation off the scoreboard to earn the win. The shutout was the 14th of the season for the Scarlet Raiders and 11th for Medina, who held Rowan without a goal for just the second time this season. Medina made five big saves, diving on four and playing aggressively in big spots as well.
"I am so proud of our guys," said Head Coach
Kevin East after the win. "They have been sold short all year and tonight they proved where they belong. I thought we played very well for 90 minutes, and we defended exceptionally. The boys were fantastic tonight, and winning this championship will be a life-long memory for them and they earned it. They are a special group of people, 1-33 on our roster."
Each side took seven corners in the game, and the Scarlet Raiders had a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Rowan held a 21-12 advantage in total shots.
After the Rutgers-Newark goal, Rowan did all it could to tie things up, but the Scarlet Raiders were up to the challenge, withstanding two corners and two shots on target that were stopped by Medina – the 2017 NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
"I would like to congratulate Rowan on a great game and season," added East. "They are difficult to play against and will represent the NJAC well in the NCAA Tournament."
The two sides played a scoreless first, but the action took place over the entire pitch and each team had several chances thwarted by the two net minders. Medina made a sliding denial five minutes in, and later in the period he broke up a nice one-one-one opportunity to keep the game scoreless.
De Sousa had several great early bids, but Rowan keeper Erik Checkur was also up to the task, making a pair of nice stops. Checkur was credited with five saves in the loss.
Newark controlled the later stages of the opening 45, generating four corners in the final 3:45 of action, but the two teams settled on a scoreless tie after one.
After a back-and-forth start to the second, the Scarlet Raider defense was tested. Medina made a great save on a big shot from Matt Hendrickson with a shade under 30 minutes on the clock, and after a corner and two shots for the Scarlet Raiders on the other end, the defense kept the Profs off the board again in a tough sequence with a shade under 20 minutes left.
Senior back
Arek Szoldrowski – a three-time All-NJAC performer for Rutgers-Newark, was thrilled to be a part of history.
"It feels amazing to be a part of Rutgers-Newark soccer history," said the veteran defender. "I really could not have imagined a better senior year so far, and I am really happy to win an NJAC title for the first time. But, this is just the first step for us. We want to go out and play for a national championship, so there is still a lot of work to be done.
Dul – who scored the game-winner Saturday night – came back to Rutgers-Newark for a fifth year after injury took away his 2016.
"For me as a returning senior, winning this title means everything," Dul said. "After coming back from a rough injury last year and experiencing the moment after scoring the game-winner and hearing the final whistle was something unbelievable. It means a lot to every member of the program and everyone should be proud of the history we have made."
Rutgers-Newark will enjoy its victory before preparing for the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Raiders will await the tournament matchups which are slated to be released Monday. Fans can follow @ScarletRaiders on twitter for updates on the NCAA Tournament and more all postseason long.
