Box Score

Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's soccer team dropped a tight game in its New Jersey Athletic Conference opener as they were edged by Rutgers-Newark 1-0 on Friday night in Lions Stadium.
 
Sophomore Charlie O'Connell (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) deposited his seventh goal of the season as the Scarlet Raiders (7-2) notched their seventh consecutive victory. Junior goalkeeper Matt Broomall (Somers Point, NJ/Mainland Regional) needed just one save to register his second shutout of the season.
 
The Lions (3-4-2) had trouble solving the Rutgers-Newark backfield and were held scoreless for the third time in four matches. The defense, however, did a terrific job containing a potent Scarlet Raider offense (2.6 goals per game) that features the leading scorer in the nation. Senior Raphael Araujo (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield) entered the game with eight goals, but was held in check by TCNJ defenders.
 
Rutgers-Newark got on the board at the 17:55 mark in the game. Sophomore Dylan Elias (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) carried down the right side and sent a ground pass through the box. O'Connell raced in and hit a first-time shot into the right corner to put the Scarlet Raiders up 1-0. It was the seventh goal of the season for O'Connell.
 
Junior Maciej Libucha (Woodland Park, NJ/Passaic Valley) made several key stops to keep it a one-goal contest. Late in the second half, he went to the ground to stop a head ball from O'Connell that was destined for the left corner. Libucha finished with nine saves in the match.
 
Sophomore Ryan Sullivan (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) had the best scoring chance for the Lions when he headed a corner kick on net from Nick Costelloe (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.). But Broomall was there to make the stop.
 
TCNJ will look to bounce back when they continue their NJAC schedule next Wednesday night, taking on Richard Stockton College at 7:30 p.m. in Lions Stadium.