By Nick Kurti
Staff Writer
Another week of New Jersey Athletic Conference play is behind us, and the men’s soccer team has officially secured their first two conference wins, with a close 1-0 game at Ramapo College and a 2-0 win against Rutgers-Camden.
The Roadrunners and Lions played a heavily contested game in Mahwah on Saturday, Oct. 11, but the College’s young talent was able to hold Ramapo scoreless for the full 90 minutes. For most of the first half, neither team was able to make a shot. There were 10 shots in the first 30 minutes, five for both teams, but neither got on goal. It wasn’t until the 32nd minute when Roadrunners midfielder Dylan Perez failed to put it in the bottom right. This was Lions freshman Sean Najdzinowicz’s lone save of the half. Junior Chris Meder and freshman Aiden Grund would each try their own shot on the Roadrunners, but Zachary Natt saved both to keep the game tied going into halftime.
The second half was a defensive masterclass; Najdzinowicz had an all-star performance, with six saves in the latter 45 minutes of play. This tied his performance the previous week against Montclair State, marked his second career shutout, and helped him earn NJAC Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Week.
In the 64th minute, coming off a goal kick, Ramapo lost the ball to Meder. He headed it to Matias Hornos, and a chance was beginning to form. The junior passed it to fellow captain, senior Massimo Rodio, where he had a defender pressing him all the way into the penalty box. With a quick feint, Rodio passed the ball to freshman Matt Will, who was out just too wide for Natt to stop it. The benches cleared as the freshman slid into the senior for a passionate hug. For Rodio, this is the first time he’s ever contributed to a goal against the Roadrunners.
The match was close, but their first conference win is now in their hands. With Will’s goal in Mahwah, he’s now second in points for the season with 10, behind only Meder’s 17.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the Lions returned home to Ewing where Rutgers-Camden awaited them. The Scarlet Raptors were a physical team, contesting the Lions forward offense into minimal chances on goal. Across the whole game, Camden and the College stayed evenly matched; both teams had nine corners each, despite the Raptors outshooting the Lions 16-12.
With just two minutes spent in the second half, the Lions were taking a corner, where Will sent it to fellow freshman Matt Maceri. He lightly headed it into the bottom right, where it rolled past multiple Raptors defenders. They were unable to clear it, and Camden keeper Aleksander Nycz couldn’t keep it out. The Lions were up 1-0.
In the 57th minute, Camden forward Rohan Castillo made a simple attempt to gain possession, where he slid, fell, and turned over the ball to Rodio. Matias Hornos gained the ball from him, and got the ball to Meder. In the span of fifteen seconds, the ball was deep in the Raptors defense, and the Lions captain sent it deep into the right pole to bump up the lead to two.
Nycz and Najdzinowicz made three saves each; the only difference was the Lions freshman’s performance contributed to yet another shutout on the record of his first season. The College’s conference record extends to 2-2-1, and now has an overall record of 7-3-4.
The men’s soccer team hits the road this Saturday, Oct. 18 to visit Rutgers-Newark. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
