MAHWAH, N.J. - The TCNJ men's soccer team was on the road to face off against Ramapo in NJAC action Saturday afternoon, with
Matt Will's goal in the 65th minute serving as the difference in a 1-0 win for the Lions – their first in conference play this season.
There was little to separate the sides in an opening 30 minutes in which neither team was able to register a shot on target. The Roadrunners (8-4-1, 1-3 NJAC) were the first to threaten a change in the score in the 33rd minute on a shot by Dylan Perez, but
Sean Najdzinowicz made the save going to his left to keep it scoreless.
TCNJ (6-3-4, 1-2-1 NJAC) responded with a pair of their own chances from
Chris Meder and Aiden Grund in the 36th and 42nd minutes respectively, only for the duo's shots to be collected by Zachary Natt to send the game into halftime level.
Still in search of their first NJAC win, the Lions found a spark from a pair of freshmen in Najdzinowicz and Will to open the second half. First it was TCNJ's goalie saving a quartet of shots in the opening 15 minutes to keep Ramapo off the board, setting up Will to bag his fifth goal of the season on a feed from
Massimo Rodio to give the Lions the long-awaited lead at the 64:12 mark.
Najdzinowicz had his number called two more times in the final 25 minutes of play and was up to the task once again, pushing his save total to seven on the afternoon – including six in the second half alone – to clinch the 1-0 victory in enemy territory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Both teams registered 15 shots in Saturday's contest, with the Roadrunners holding a narrow, 7-6 lead in shots on goal.
- Meder finished with team-best marks in both shots (4) and shots on goal (2).
NOTES
- Najdzinowicz's seven saves ties his career high set against Montclair State, with the shutout serving as his second of the year and first since TCNJ's season opener.
- Will's goal was his fifth of the season – second-most on the team behind only Meder's six – and second game winner.
UP NEXT
- The Lions are back home Wednesday, Oct. 15 to take on Rutgers-Camden, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
