EWING, N.J. – In the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener, The College of New Jersey men's soccer team defeated Rutgers-Newark in double overtime by a final score of 4-3. With the win the Lions remain undefeated as they are now 7-0 and 1-0 in the NJAC, while Rutgers Newark drops to 3-3-1 and 0-1 in conference play.
The Lions had an opportunity right off the bat, as
Joerg Jauk sent in a header that was saved by the Scarlet Raider keeper. In the 27
th minute the Lions pushed across the first goal.
Ryan Santos sent a pass to
Ryan Vazquez in the center of the box, then Vazquez found
Nick Sample close in the left side who punched it in. The Scarlet Raiders had the answer however, as a goal from Franco Catania less than a minute later tied it up.
Catania struck again about six minutes later to give the Scarlet Raiders a 2-1 advantage, yet this time it was the Lions with the answer. Santos scored on an aggressive run, and he slipped it inside of the left post from the right side to notch things up at 2-2 heading into the half.
In the second half neither side was able to break through until the 82nd minute, when Rutgers Newark jumped out in front with a goal from Pape Taha. The Lions did not give up and continued to fight back. With just under five minutes remaining,
Abdullah Afridi sent a beautiful left-footed pass from the left side that found
Ethan Mueller in front of the right post, and Mueller punched it in to deadlock the game at 3-3.
Just over two minutes into the second overtime, the Lions ended it with a dramatic goal. The Scarlet Raiders attempted to clear the ball, yet
Michael Maltese denied the attempt. From the left corner Maltese sent a gorgeous cross that found the leaping Vazquez, and Vazquez punched the header in the back of the net to set off a wild celebration and lift the Lions to victory.
With the win the Lions continue their splendid start to the 2018 campaign, and they are off to the best start since the 1994 season.
The Lions out shot the Scarlet Raiders 24-15. In net was
Daniel Mecadon who recorded four saves and picked up his third win of the year.
The Lions return to action on Wednesday Sept. 19 where they will travel to Drew University for a 7:00 p.m. start.
