NEWARK, N.J. (September 10, 2017) – Sophomore forward
Fabio De Sousa scored 3:39 into the second overtime period to help lift the eighth-ranked Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Elmhurst College and the 2017 Brick City Classic Tournament title.
Rutgers-Newark went 2-0-0 in the tournament and improved to 5-0-0 overall. Drew University placed second, going 1-0-1 on the back of a 3-2 win over Whitman College on Sunday. Elmhurst was third (0-1-1) and Whitman placed fourth (0-2-0).
Scarlet Raider junior midfielder
Breno Lustosa was named the Brick City Classic MVP, playing a major role for Rutgers-Newark on both sides of the field throughout the weekend. Joining Lustosa on the All-Brick City Classic Tournament team was De Sousa, junior
Stefano Muniz and freshman
Adrian Velazquez. Velazquez and the entire Rutgers-Newark defense played exceptionally well, and Velazquez recorded the assist on the tournament-winner.
On the winner, Velazquez fed De Sousa with a longball. De Sousa turned and cut across the box moving right-to-left with two defenders in tow and the goalkeeper charging. He was then able to shoot against the grain, beating keeper Nick King and the defenders. The goal was his fourth of the season, and the assist was the first career point for Velazquez.
The first half saw one goal for each side, with the Scarlet Raiders taking a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute and the Blue Jays pulling even at 19:57.
Muniz tallied the first goal of the match, his third of the season and second in as many days, taking a feed from senior
Chigozie Atubi, shielding the defense with his body and putting his shot into the right side of the goal at 11:46. The assist was the first of the season for Atubi.
Elmhurst pulled even in the 20th minute on a long shot from sophomore Zach Clements. The goal was the first of the season against Rutgers-Newark and broke a streak of 379:57 of scoreless match time put together by the Scarlet Raider defense.
Rutgers-Newark controlled field position and possession for 75-plus percent of the first half, ending the opening period with a 10-2 margin in shots, a 5-2 edge in shots on goal and a 4-2 advantage in corners.
Freshman
Joshua Breton-Jones nearly put Rutgers-Newark on top five minutes into the second half, but his rocket from the top of the box was denied thanks to a diving save from King. King made two more excellent stops to keep the score knotted 1-1, and with about 20 minutes remaining, the Blue Jay defense somehow kept the Scarlet Raiders from pulling in front despite a flurry of shots and corners for the hosts.
R-N continued to control the ball and field, but the two teams would head to overtime deadlocked at one. R-N ended the first 90 minutes with a 26-3 edge in shots abd a 12-2 lead in shots on goal.
The tone of the match stayed the same in overtime, with the Scarlet Raiders winning it late in the second extra period.
Rutgers-Newark ended the game with a 31-3 lead in shots, a 12-2 margin in corners and a 13-2 edge in shots on goal. King made 11 saves in the loss, while sophomore
Andres Medina made one save to earn his fifth triumph of the season.
Next up for the eighth-ranked Raiders is a meeting with New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Rutgers University-Camden on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. from Alumni Field.
2017 Brick City Classic Honors:
Team Champion – Rutgers-Newark (2-0-0)(6 points)
Runner-Up – Drew University (1-0-1)(4 points)
MVP – Junior Midfielder
Breno Lustosa – Rutgers-Newark
All-Brick City Classic Team
Junior Midfielder
Breno Lustosa – Rutgers-Newark
Sophomore Forward
Fabio De Sousa – Rutgers-Newark
Junior Forward
Stefano Muniz – Rutgers-Newark
Freshman Back
Adrian Velazquez - Rutgers-Newark
Junior Back Marlon Rodriguez – Drew University
Junior Back Niko Cserhat – Drew University
Sophomore Forward Andy Imoh – Drew University
Senior Goalkeeper Nick King – Elmhurst College
Senior Back Andrew Hicks – Elmhurst College
Senior Back Noah Canvanaugh – Whitman College
Sophomore Midfielder CJ Fritz – Whitman College
