Box Score

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – It didn't take long for the Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team to strike in its New Jersey Athletic Conference showdown here Saturday night, and it didn't take nationally-ranked Montclair State University long to respond.
 
After the Scarlet Raptors scored only 1:27 into the game on the first Rutgers-Camden goal by junior back Kwame Mensah (Aurora, CO/Gateway), the Red Hawks exploded for three goals in a span of 11:25. Montclair State, currently ranked No. 16 in the D3soccer.com Top 25 poll and ranked as high as No. 6 earlier in the season in the NSCAA Division III Top 25, went on to post a 5-2 victory between two of the NJAC's perennial conference powers.
 
The win keeps Montclair State atop the NJAC race with a 7-0 conference mark. Rutgers-Camden, which has won the last three conference titles, falls to 5-2 in the NJAC.
 
The Red Hawks improve to 13-3 overall with their ninth straight win. The Scarlet Raptors fall to 9-7.
 
Montclair State leads the all-time series, 19-11-5.
 
Rutgers-Camden came out of the gate and scored in the second minute when Mensah finished a feed from junior midfielder Grant Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham). Only 1:38 later, however, the Red Hawks notched the tying goal when sophomore defender John Starner (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) headed in his second goal of the season off a corner kick from junior midfielder Lucas Terci (Union, NJ/Union).
 
Montclair State took the lead for good at 13:30, with junior midfielder Damian Bziukiewicz (East Rutherford, NJ/Becton Regional) scoring off an assist from senior midfielder Maxx Wurzburger (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock). Exactly one minute later, Terci assisted on a goal by sophomore forward Mike Olla (Bloomfield,  NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) to make it a 3-1 game.
 
Rutgers-Camden came out strong in the second half, taking the first four shots and capitalizing on the last one when junior forward Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) finished his team-leading 10th goal of the season off a feed from junior midfielder Connor Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep). It was Hurff's team-leading sixth assist and helped Ryan raise his program career record to 49 goals.
 
Montclair State, however, got that goal back at 69:33 when Bziukiewicz assisted senior forward Brian Cullen (Clementon, NJ/Highland Regional) on his fifth goal of the year. That combination hooked up on another goal at 77:36.
 
For the Red Hawks, sophomore goalie Michael Gonzalez (Kenilworth, NJ/Union Catholic) made four saves to earn the win.
 
Rutgers-Camden started sophomore keeper Eric Bumbera (Wall, NJ/Wall), who allowed three goals and made two saves in the first 20:37. Freshman keeper Sean Matias (Vineland, NJ/Millville) worked the rest of the way, making three saves and allowing two goals. Both players faced seven shots.
 
Montclair State held a 14-13 edge in shots and Rutgers-Camden had a 12-8 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Wednesday, hosting Swarthmore College in a 7 p.m. game. Swarthmore, which was ranked as high as No. 18 in the NSCAA poll earlier this year, will be the sixth team on the Raptors' schedule which has been nationally ranked this season. Another one will come Oct. 25 when the Raptors host NJAC rival Rutgers-Newark, currently ranked No. 19 in the NSCAA and No. 22 by D3soccer.com.