WAYNE, N.J. — The Rutgers-Newark men's soccer team opened New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play in dominant fashion Wednesday night, rolling past William Paterson University, 6-1, at Pioneer Soccer Park.
The Scarlet Raiders (4-1-3, 1-0-0 NJAC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 29 minutes and never looked back, scoring four times in the second half to pull away from the Pioneers (2-5-2, 0-1-0 NJAC).
Freshman Zahradeen Amadou got Rutgers-Newark on the board in the 3rd minute of the contest, finishing off a feed from Samuel De Souza for his fifth goal of the season. Eric Cortes doubled the Scarlet Raiders' advantage in the 29th minute, capitalizing off an Amadou miss to send Rutgers-Newark into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
William Paterson cut the deficit to 2-1 early in the second half when Matty Escobar scored in the 47th minute, but Rutgers-Newark quickly answered when Amadou found Augusto Vieira to restore the two-goal cushion. Vieira struck again in the 81st minute to give the Scarlet Raiders a 4-1 lead.
The scoring would continue as Amadou added his second goal of the night just 19 seconds later, pushing the advantage to 5-1. Vieira capped the scoring in the 89th minute, completing his hat trick performance and giving Rutgers-Newark its sixth goal of the night.
Vieira finished with three goals on three shots, while Amadou recorded two goals and two assists. Amadou also put all three of his shots on target. Cortes added a goal, while De Souza and Amadou each recorded assists on the opening two goals.
David Bejarno made two saves in goal for the Scarlet Raiders, while Rutgers-Newark held a 14-7 advantage in shots and a 9-3 edge in shots on goal.
The Scarlet Raiders return to action Saturday when they host Montclair State at Frederick Douglass Field in another NJAC matchup.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Rutgers-Newark Athletics, visit rutgersnewarkathletics.com. Fans can also stay up to date by following the Scarlet Raiders on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
