Box Score

Hoboken, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's soccer team was held scoreless for the first time this season as Stevens Institute of Technology registered a 2-0 win on Wednesday night in Hoboken, NJ.
 
The Lions (3-3) entered the match outscoring their opponents 15-5 through the first five contests. But they ran into a stingy defense on the road as the Ducks (2-2) captured their second straight win, netting a goal in each period.
 
Play started slowly as only two shots were taken in the opening 25 minutes. Lions' goalkeeper Jake Nesteruk (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East) stopped both Duck shots he faced. TCNJ got off its first attempt in the 27^th minute when junior Jason O'Donnell (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) fired a shot that traveled wide left.
 
At the 38:37 mark of the first half, Stevens broke the scoreless tie. The Lions were whistled for a foul inside the box and Harrison Kane (Tulsa, Okla/Bishop Kelley) converted the penalty kick to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. It was the first goal scored on Nesteruk in a TCNJ uniform, snapping a streak of 238:40 scoreless minutes in net.
 
Just over 10 minutes into the second period, Stevens stretched its lead to 2-0. Sophomore Jay Mikula (Howell, NJ/Colts Neck) chipped a pass over the defensive line and junior Carson Prior (St. Louis, MO/MICDS) knocked in his second goal of the season. Prior is coming off an outstanding sophomore campaign when he was named Empire 8 Player of the Year with 14 goals.
 
The second goal would be all the cushion the Ducks would need as they maintained control of the match, outshooting the Lions 13-5.
 
TCNJ managed two shots on goal in the game, both coming in the second half by senior Kevin McCartney (Old Bridge, NJ/St. Joseph's) and sophomore Ryan Kaplan (Somerset, NJ/Franklin). Stevens' sophomore goalkeeper Mike Renna (Basking Ridge, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's) made both stops and notched his first career shutout. Nesteruk finished with a season-high six saves.
 
The Lions will play their seventh consecutive road contest to open the season on Saturday. They lace up to play Drew University in Madison, NJ at 3:30 p.m. TCNJ hosts its home opener next Wednesday, September when they match up against FDU-Florham at 7:30 p.m. in Lions Stadium.