WAYNE, N.J. (October 10, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team suffered a heart-breaking defeat in double overtime at New Jersey Athletic Conference foe William Paterson University tonight, 4-3. The Scarlet Raiders move to 7-7-1 (2-4-0 NJAC) while the Pioneers improve to 9-4-1 (3-3-0 NJAC).
WPU outshot the visitors 23-7 including 13-5 in attempts on target while holding a 14-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Rookie keeper
Christian Andrach took a hard-knock loss despite making nine saves while Gabriel Reyes earned the win with three stops.
The Raiders look to bounce back on Saturday night when they host NJAC rival Rowan on Frederick Douglass Field at 7:30 p.m.
Rutgers-Newark took an early lead in a key NJAC matchup, scoring less than 10 minutes into the game. At the 8:09 mark, sophomore
Joshua Breton-Jones took advantage of a scrum in front of the net, winning the ball and sending it into the twine for his fifth of the season and a 1-0 edge.
The Raiders would hold that slim advantage for the remainder of the first period but things would change quickly after the break.
Exactly two minutes into the second half, the Pioneers found their equalizer. Cameron Allen sent a cross into the box that was taken expertly by Brandon Harley who volleyed his strike to the far post, beating the keeper.
Just 42 seconds later, momentum appeared to have swung in favor of the hosts. WPU drew a foul in the box and Allen delivered, converting from the spot to make it 2-1.
Still, the trend of fast and furious second period scoring would not end as R-N immediately rallied. A mere 90 seconds after the Pioneers took the lead, the Raiders found their equalizer. Senior
Victor Navas Jr. made the most of a golden opportunity, heading home a dangerous cross by rookie
Davi Alves for a timely first score of the campaign to even the match at 2-2.
Over the next four and half minutes, the sides each had an opportunity on frame but both keepers rose to the occasion. While the contest became chippier from there, WPU had another chance to regain its lead, however Andrach made another stop. Then, only 44 seconds later, Newark drew a foul in the 18, providing a crucial chance to take its first lead of the half.
Rookie
Franco Catania would not squander the opportunity, burying the penalty kick for his team-leading 11th goal of the season to put the visitors in front 3-2 in the 61st minute.
Unfortunately, Catania's night would end on a red card a few minutes later, leaving his side a man down for the rest of the contest.
The Pioneers used that turn of events to their advantage, equalizing less than a minute later when, off a corner, Charlie Lizardo nodded the ball over to Jordan Saling who finished his header past the netminder to tie the match once more at 3-3.
While William Paterson earned four corner kicks and forced Andrach into two more saves, the flurry of chances were for naught as Rutgers-Newark weathered the storm and forced the teams into extra time.
In the first OT, Andrach again made a huge stop, denying Lizardo who won a header off another corner in the 99th minute.
Still, the Pioneers finally found their game-winner in the second OT. Keysean Brant-Sharp made his way into the box before laying the ball off for Christopher Fuentes who deposited his strike into the bottom right corner of the net to seal the 4-3 victory at 102:50.
