Ewing, NJ. … The College of New Jersey women's soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season, falling to Rowan University, 1-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship match.
 
The Profs (16-1-2) cashed in on an early opportunity and the goal stood as goalkeeper Shelby Money put forth a tremendous effort to lead her club to the title. The Lions (16-1-1) will await the announcement from the NCAA Selection Committee on whether they receive an at-large bid to the championship tournament and if they will host tourney matches on campus. The entire NCAA tournament bracket and field will be revealed during a live webcast on ncaa.com this Monday at 1:30 p.m.
 
It was a physical match from start to finish. Just 4:12 into the match, Maxine New delivered a corner kick to the far post about 10 yards out.  Maddie Williscroft crashed in and knocked the ball out of the air and into the right pocket. It was the first goal of the season for Williscroft.
 
TCNJ pressured in the opening half, but didn't get many open shots. That was until there was 24:04 left in the period when Christine Levering (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) roped a left-footed shot from 15 yards out that Money dove to her right to stop.
 
The second period was a similar game on the field. The Lions controlled the majority of play, but had difficulty penetrating the Prof defense. Any time a scoring chance surfaced, Money was there to spoil the opportunity.
 
The best scoring chance for TCNJ came with 7:20 remaining. Senior Marissa Scognomiglio (Orangeburg, NY/Pearl River) drove a header from 10 yards out that was but Money dove to her left to make a two-handed grab on the ball that was destined for the right pocket.
 
The Lions outshot Rowan 18-5 in the game, but the Profs held the edge on the scoreboard to capture their second straight NJAC title. TCNJ senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunterdon) finished with three saves in the game. Money made eight stops in net.
 
The Lions have qualified for 25 consecutive NCAA championship tournaments and are the top-ranked team in their region. They will learn details to the remainder of the season on Monday.