CAMDEN, NJ - The Rutgers-Newark men's soccer team fell to Rutgers-Camden, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) this afternoon at the Camden Athletic Center.
The Raiders entered today's match on a two-game win streak, during which they had scored five goals.
Battling cool but calm temperatures today in South Jersey, the field was primed for an RU showdown. The first 45 minutes were a lot of back-and-forth action between the two Rutgers programs. A breakdown of the stat line showed that the Raptors had a slight shots lead (5-3) and shots on goal edge (2-1). With five corners being allotted to Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers-Newark taking three, the first period caused more "coulda woulda shoulda" goals than actual ones.
Coming out of the break, the energy was evident as both teams were itching to score a goal. It took three minutes for that to occur. The Raptors made a play that found Eric Swen waiting in the box, ultimately fighting off three Raider defenders, as he kicked the ball hard and low to the right side past Pedro Flores' hands and feet to secure the game's lone goal.
The Raiders had a close call in the 64th minute and again in the 65th, but Raptor goalkeeper Sean Boen made elite stops to keep Rutgers-Newark off the scoreboard.
Flores made four saves on the day playing all 90 minutes. Erick Cortes had four shots and two on goal.
Rutgers-Newark's season comes to a close with a 9-7-4 record and a 3-2-4 conference mark. Rutgers-Camden continues its season improving to 9-6-5.
