NEWARK, N.J. — Rutgers–Newark men's soccer battled to the very end in the ECAC Championship final at Frederick Douglass Field but ultimately fell to Juniata College, closing out their postseason run with a hard-fought 2–1 loss on Saturday afternoon.
The match opened with an even, back-and-forth tempo as both sides worked to establish control. Erick Cortes nearly put the Scarlet Raiders ahead in the 10th minute when he slipped past a defender and rounded the keeper, only for a Juniata's Brandon Marzula to clear the shot off the line. Moments later, Juniata fired off a chance of their own in the 19th minute, but it sailed over the goal. Rutgers–Newark continued applying pressure, with Jake Milne forcing two first-half saves, while the Raiders' back line held Juniata without a shot on goal through the opening 45 minutes.
The second half shifted as Juniata capitalized on one of their few opportunities when Jayden Gaynor scored in the 63rd minute off a cross from Tre Henry and secondary assist from Nick Mattioni to break the deadlock. Rutgers–Newark responded with urgency, pushing higher and creating consistent pressure, but Juniata's defenders repeatedly thwarted promising attacks. The Raiders finally broke through in the 70th minute when Ethan Geronimo finished a cross from Peter Rios to level the score and energize the home crowd. Despite the momentum swing, Juniata struck again late,with Tre Henry converting on his own rebound in the 84th minute to reclaim the lead. Rutgers–Newark pressed desperately in the closing minutes, but the equalizer never materialized.
Although the result was not the ending the Scarlet Raiders hoped for, the team's standout performances throughout the tournament did not go unnoticed. Ian Brown, Erick Cortes, and Dylan Huseinovic were each named to the ECAC All-Tournament Team, recognizing their crucial roles in guiding Rutgers–Newark to the championship match.
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