UNION, N.J. – Worth the wait.
 
Interim head coach P.J. Ringel '21 and the TCNJ men's soccer team finally got their first win, and one with maximum drama at that as Daniel Grund fired home with 39 seconds remaining for the game's lone goal in a 1-0 NJAC lid-lifter at Kean on Saturday.
 
The first coaching win for Ringel doubled as the first of the season for the Lions (1-6-3, 1-0), who had already been dealt three draws and three 1-0 losses before finally tasting victory.
 
It looked like the sides would settle for a scoreless draw on a wet afternoon, but TCNJ at last caught a piece of good fortune when the Cougar keeper short-armed a throw to a teammate. Matias Hornos stepped in front of it and passed off to Joseph Lucignano, who dribbled into the box and squared a pass for Grund. The senior captain made no mistake, bouncing a low shot past the diving keeper and into the lower left corner of the net for a dramatic game-winner.
 
TCNJ survived a first-half onslaught from the Cougars (2-5-3, 0-1), who recorded the first seven shots of the game. Kean put six of them on target, but Colin Rentner was equal to the task and racked up five first-half saves. He got some help in the 32^nd minute, when a loose ball fell to a Cougar just outside the 6-yard box and Sam Snyder was on the spot to clear the ensuing shot off the line.
 
The Lions flipped the switch late in the half, with Chris Meder and Pablo Argueta forcing saves. TCNJ had a golden opportunity with a minute left in the frame, when J.J. Zaun's cross drew a hand ball in the box. Meder stepped up to take the penalty, but his low, hard shot to the right was saved.
 
Shots on target were hard to come by after halftime, with Meder and Nathan Lipton providing the lone two. Rentner made his sixth and final save in the 83^rd minute, and Grund's last-ditch shocker gave the senior net-minder his first career win and shutout.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kean had slight advantages in shots (13-11) and corners (5-4)
• Both teams put seven shots on goal
• Meder led all players with five shots (four on target)

NOTES

• Grund scored his first goal of the season and the sixth of his career
• TCNJ has won its last two NJAC openers at Kean (2022 and 2024)
• The Lions posted their first clean sheet since a 0-0 draw at Stockton on October 11 of last year

UP NEXT

• TCNJ takes on Stockton at home on Wednesday night