Box Score

Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's soccer team engaged in a classic New Jersey Athletic Conference battle with second-ranked Rutgers University-Camden, drawing a 1-1 tie in Lions' Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Lions (7-2-2, 2-1-1 NJAC) fought tooth and nail in their match with the unbeaten Scarlet Raptors (11-0-1, 3-0-1 NJAC) and registered a valuable point in the conference standings. Senior Kevin Shaw (Brookside, NJ/West Morris Menhdam) converted a penalty kick in the opening half, while RUC senior Stevan Austino (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional) netted the equalizer as the two teams went head-to-head in 110 minutes of exciting soccer.

Play was even throughout the opening half with limited scoring chances. At the 29:37 mark, Shaw had possession in the box and attempted to move around his defender to the left side. He was taken down as Rutgers-Camden was whistled for a foul prompting a penalty kick. The senior forward buried his chance to give TCNJ a 1-0 advantage. It was his 13^th tally of the season

The Lions' defense did a solid job containing senior Mitch Grotti (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional) and sophomore Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) in the first half. Ryan entered the game (along with Shaw) tied for third in the nation in goals with 12.

The Scarlet Raptors had a golden opportunity just five minutes into the second period. Sophomore Connor Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) ripped a shot off a loose ball that was batted down by goalkeeper Aaron Utman (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley). Senior Keegan Balle (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) was there for the rebound and laced a one-timer that flew just past the left post.

In the 73^rd minute, the Scarlet Raptors evened the score. Austino intercepted a clear just outside the box and roped a shot into the upper left corner for his fourth goal of the season.

RUC nearly took the lead with 1:13 remaining. Balle uncorked a free kick from 23 yards out that clipped the crossbar and caromed out of bounds.

With less than 10 seconds left in regulation, the Lions nearly pulled off a last-second victory. Ryan Sullivan (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) headed a corner kick from Matt Taylor (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights) inside the near post. RUC senior goalkeeper Mike Randall (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) emerged with a game-saver, grabbing the ball out of the air as time expired to send the match into overtime.

In the first overtime, the best scoring chance came off the foot of Austino. He streaked down the right side and lined a shot on goal that Utman laid out to his right to snare. Utman finished with four saves in the game.

TCNJ had the better of play in the second overtime and put relentless pressure on the RUC defense. In the 107^th minute of play, Shaw collected a loose ball at the top of the box and scorched a shot toward the right corner. Randall dove to his left to make the grab. A minute later, the senior forward ripped another shot, but Randall was there again to make the stop. He finished with nine saves in the game, while the Scarlet Raptors held the advantage in shots 18-14.

The Lions have held their own against ranked opponents this season. They topped Montclair State University 2-1 this past Saturday and also tied Stevens Institute of Technology 1-1 earlier this season. The Ducks were ranked third in Division III at the time.

TCNJ visits Rutgers-Newark this Saturday at 1 p.m. in another NJAC match. The Scarlet Raptors are off for a week before hosting Richard Stockton College at 7 p.m. next Wednesday night.