By Shawn Retta
Staff Writer
The Lions’ men's soccer team remain one of two teams left undefeated in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and they have done it in an unorthodox way. This week, they continued their streak of winning a game and tying as they picked up a 4-2 win against Hunter and a 0-0 draw against Swarthmore, bringing their record to 3-0-4.
The undefeated streak of seven games makes this the fourth longest unbeaten streak in program history, only needing three more games to tie the record of the 1994 team. In addition, the four draws is the fastest the program has reached this mark in program history and is only one away from tying the program record set in 2024 and 2025.
In their match against Hunter, the Lions briefly fell behind 1-0 in the ninth minute, but four different Lions ended up getting a ball into the back of the net. Freshman Nick Luddy netted the go-ahead goal in the 62nd minute, which is also the first of his career.
“It was a great feeling being my first of my college career and the leading goal in the game. It’s been a big adjustment from playing high school and club soccer to college and it helped me believe in trusting the process,” stated Luddy on how it felt to put one into the net. “I already feel a strong relationship with my team, but going to the corner and celebrating with all my teammates made me feel much more connected with everyone on the field. I can’t wait for more of those moments to come.”
Another person to score in that game was the electric sophomore Aidan Ayar, who has been on a tear so far this season. He currently sits at six goals, which is second in the NJAC only trailing Tomas Monteiro of Montclair State by one.
In their following match against Swarthmore, the defense was on lockdown mode. Sophomore Sean Nadjdzinowicz tallied his first blank of the season, saving three shots. He put his body on the line, smacking his head off the crossbar in the 23rd minute.
Although the Lions may have taken the odd path towards this undefeated start, this just shows the grit of this team and through the highs and ties, this team is able to stick together and not give up.
The Lions go on the road Sept. 26 when they face Neumann, then are presented with a major task in the No. 4 ranked Rowan. The Profs are the only other undefeated team in the NJAC, and the Lions will have the home field advantage on Sept. 30 at 6 p.m.
