Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's soccer team saw its season come to a close as they were edged by Rowan University, 1-0 on Tuesday night in the New Jersey Athletic Conference semifinal match.
 
Prof forward Shane Doherty scored with 6:38 remaining in the game to give second-seeded Rowan the victory. They advance to the conference championship game and will take on the winner of the Montclair State/Rutgers-Newark match.
 
The Lions (9-9-2) pushed the Profs to the limit on their home turf. They pressured Rowan goalkeeper Kyle Dennis in the first half, but couldn't capitalize to gain an advantage. The Profs created more scoring changes after the intermission, but TCNJ goalkeeper Dan Walsh (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) turned back several opportunities to keep the game even.
 
The final 20 minutes brought series of scoring opportunities. Doherty got off a shot that Walsh was able to nudge just over the crossbar to the keep the game scoreless. Following the Prof corner kick, the Lions quickly transitioned and found senior Thomas Hogue (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic) near midfield. He took on two Prof defenders and raced out the left side. The ball skipped away and appeared as if the Dennis clear the loose ball. But Hogue continued and was able to block the clear as the ball rebounded in front of an empty goal mouth. TCNJ freshman Michael Maltese (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) and a Rowan defender were in a foot-race to get to the ball first. But a Prof defender slid into clear the ball an instant before Maltese could reach it for a tap in.
 
With less than seven minutes remaining, a long cross to the right side put the ball at the foot of Rowan's Tyler Hogar. He lifted the ball into the box and Doherty dove and directed a header towards the net. Walsh made the initial save, but the ball rebounded just in front of the goal line. Doherty got to his feet and knocked in the loose ball for his 13^th goal of the season.
 
Walsh finished with six saves in the game, while Dennis made four stops.
 
TCNJ advanced to the NJAC playoffs for the first time since 2013, when they also reached the semifinal match.