One-goal games seem to be kryptonite for the College’s men’s soccer team, as they ended the week with a loss against Rutgers University-Newark by a score of 3-2. The loss marks the squad’s fifth one-goal loss of the season, and fifth overall. The team was able to pick up a point in the NJAC by tying Rutgers University-Camden earlier in the week.
“With respect to our standings in the NJAC this year, it’s just a shame that our year thus far of soccer has to be summed up by 0-3-2,” said senior forward Chris Pisano. “To be honest we are playing great soccer and it’s quite unbelievable how many games we have seemingly let slip through our fingers, and therefore we have nothing to show in the win column.”
Taking on 16th-ranked Rutgers-Camden, the College jumped to an early lead off of junior midfielder Kevin Shaw’s foot. The goal was Shaw’s fourth, which leads the team.
“(Shaw) is without a doubt a playmaker and we couldn’t be happier to have him out there,” Pisano said. “It’s just disappointing that with his contributions as of late, we haven’t been awarded with a win.”
The Lions had trouble holding onto the lead, heading into the second half when the Scarlet Raptors tied the game at the 57:14 mark. The game remained deadlock at the end of regulation.
In the overtime periods, both teams had opportunities to win the game, but neither could capitalize.
“Even though Camden was ranked and we wound up with a tie, at this point in the season a tie doesn’t suffice,” said Pisano. “It’s a whole lot of great soccer but without the result, and right now, that’s not good enough for us.”
The College ended the week with a hard-fought game against Rutgers-Newark. The Scarlet Raiders attacked the Lions’ backfield early in the game, scoring the first goal of the game. Thanks to the foot of senior midfielder Ed Kozic, the Lions responded to even up the score.
The Lions defensive core could not hold the Scarlet Raiders off in the second half, as they punched in their second and third goals of the game in the 74th and 76th minutes of the game. Freshman midfielder Kevin McCartney netted his second goal of the season, but the late game surge was not enough, as the Lions lost 3-2.
“We’re definitely coming out to these past few games hungry and attacking instead of waiting back and letting the other team come to us,” Pisano said. “The only problem is that we are still having trouble shutting these teams down offensively.”
The Lions played well throughout the entire game but could not come up with the big stops when they needed them the most. In fact, the Lions outshot the Scarlet Raiders by a wide 24-14 margin and held a decisive 6-1 corner kick advantage.
Up to this point in the season, the squad has played much better than its overall 4-5-2 record suggests. The Lions have outscored their opponents 19-18, outshot their opponents 79-50, and have held a 57-43 advantage in corner kicks. The team will need more than just box score stats on their side, however, if they want to advance to the NJAC’s.
In a non-conference matchup, the Lions travel to Muhlenberg on Wednesday in hopes of getting back on the winning track. Each game of the rest of the season is extremely important in keeping the Lions’ postseason aspirations alive.
