Box Score

CENTER VALLEY, Penn. (Aug. 31, 2013) – It's been quite an opening weekend for the Rutgers University-Camden soccer team and forwards Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and Mitch Grotti (Milmay, NJ/Millville).

Both players collected two goals here Saturday as the Scarlet Raptors, ranked No. 14 in the NSCAA pre-season Division III poll, outlasted DeSales University, 4-3.
Rutgers-Camden, which held a 27-7 advantage in shots and a 6-4 edge in corner kicks, improves to 2-0, while DeSales falls to 0-2.

After both teams traded first-half goals, the Scarlet Raptors out-scored the Bulldogs, 3-2, in a wild second half in which the last three goals of the game came on penalty kicks. Two of them were by Grotti, who hiked his career point total to 100, tying George Scafidi (1974-77) for second place on the program's all-time list. Grotti's two goals also allowed him to leapfrog Mike Zeno (1992-95) and move into second place on the career list with 42 goals, only one behind Scafidi's record. His penalty kick at 83:55, which broke a 3-3 tie, extended his Rutgers-Camden career record to 17 game-winning goals.

Ryan, meanwhile, scored a pair of goals for the second straight game, following two goals in a 2-1 season-opening win over Muhlenberg Friday night. His first goal, at 12:01, was assisted by junior midfielder Joe Auleta (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) and tied the contest, following an unassisted tally by senior forward Matt Poorman (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) only 2:02 into the game. Poorman's goal produced the lone shot for DeSales in the opening half, which Rutgers-Camden controlled with an 11-1 advantage in shots.

The Bulldogs took another lead only 4:54 into the second half when freshman Wes Frebel (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) headed in a goal, but Ryan tied it with an unassisted tally eight minutes later.

Rutgers-Camden took its first lead of the night on a Grotti penalty kick at 61:45, but Poorman answered with a penalty kick of his own at 70:15. Grotti's final PK, coming at 83:55, was the winning goal.

Senior goalie Mike Randall (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) picked up the win for the Raptors, making only one save.

The Scarlet Raptors return to action Wednesday when they host Cabrini College at 7 p.m. in their home opener.