NEWARK, NJ - The Rutgers-Newark (7-6-4, 1-2-4 NJAC) men's soccer team fell to visiting Stockton (6-5-5, 3-2-2 NJAC) tonight at Frederick Douglass Field, 2-1, after the Ospreys staged a second-half comeback.
In the fifth minute, it was an ESPN worthy play by Esteban Hidalgo that got the Raider fans cheering. Esteban raced down the field from 50 yards out. He bounced the ball off two defenders to get the breakaway and score it high center to give the Raiders an early 1-0 advantage.
It was Stockton's Thomas Trimble that just missed the net with the ball sailing wide left in the 21st minute. A solid effort that would have tied the game up for the Ospreys.
A free kick with 18 seconds left in the first half by Erick Morales almost gave the Raiders a two-point edge as the ball sailed just inches above the post to get fans on their feet, but just missing the target slightly.
Esteban's goal would hold, for a one goal edge after 45 minutes of play. Stockton led 5-4 with shots in the first half, while Rutgers-Newark held a 2-0 advantage with shots on goal.
After the break, Stockton's Ernst Louisius booted the ball hard as it hit the crossbar, as Raider fans wiped their foreheads in relief.
Stockton's Joseph Carbone took advantage of a bad defensive pass in front of the goal that allowed Carbone to steal the ball and tie the game at 1-1 in the 74th minute.
A free kick by Stockton's Antonio Matos from 30 yards out on the left side of the field, was planted perfectly at the head of Ernst Louisius, who headed the ball into the right side of the net to give the Osprey its first lead of the break in the 78th minute. The goal would later become the gamewinning goal to complete the comeback.
Prior to the start of the game, Rutgers-Newark honored its senior class of Pedro Flores, Brandon Castro, Andrew Solomon,Marco Menacho, Jonah Dias, Erick Morales, and Bryan Rodrigues.
Men's soccer's next game will be this Saturday, October 26 at 1 p.m at NJCU.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Rutgers-Newark sports, visit rutgersnewarkathletics.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Scarlet Raiders news by following Rutgers-Newark Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
