EWING, N.J. – An early goal from Colin Kenville and a herculean effort between the pipes from Julian Franco was just enough for the TCNJ men's soccer team to hang on for a 1-0 victory at Ramapo in the NJAC opener on Friday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions (3-5-1, 1-0) needed just four minutes and change to play from in front as Sebastian Hernandez picked out an unmarked Kenville with a pinpoint cross from the right side. Kenville cashed in the chance easily with a one-touch finish at the far post to give TCNJ a quick 1-0 lead.
• TCNJ continued to put on pressure in the early going, with Chris Meder and Massimo Rodio each forcing saves with on-target efforts inside the first 15 minutes
• TCNJ got some help from the crossbar late in the first half as Alex Zargo's shot from distance shaved caromed off the woodwork, and Franco was there to smother Michael Morelli's follow-up attempt as the visitors held on to a 1-0 lead at intermission
• Franco made a remarkable save to deny Morelli a potential equalizer early in the second stanza, diving to his right to palm away a shot that had taken a deflection and nearly ricocheted over the senior keeper's head. A few minutes later, Franco dove to his left to snare a long-range bouncer from Luigi Portillo
• Desperate for an equalizer, the Roadrunners (2-3-2, 0-1) continued to pepper Franco and put eight shots on frame in the second half, but the Lions' netminder was equal to every challenge

NOTES

• Kenville's goal was his second of the season and the fifth of his career, while Hernandez notched his first point of the campaign with the early assist
• Hernandez was one of three Lions to play all 90 minutes, joining fifth-year captain Dante Bettino and Franco to help nail down the clean sheet

• Friday's victory marked the first time the Lions won an NJAC opener on the road since 2016. It was the first win in a conference lid-lifter since a 4-3 double-OT thriller over Rutgers-Newark in 2018
• Franco racked up a career-high 10 saves to collect his first clean sheet of the season and the sixth solo shutout of his career. The ten stops gave him 201 for his career, moving him into seventh place on the program's all-time charts
• Ramapo outshot the Lions, 21-14, and had seven corner kicks to TCNJ's three
• Kenville matched Pablo Argueta, Mike Garofalo, and Massimo Rodio with a team-high two shots

UP NEXT

• The Lions return home to face Kean next Wednesday night. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.