Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. – If ever the Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team needed a spark, it was early in their New Jersey Athletic Conference opener here Wednesday night.
 
Coming off two straight losses and facing an early 1-0 deficit, the three-time defending conference champions found that spark with two goals in a span of 3:23. They went on to defeat William Paterson University, 3-1, in the first NJAC game for both teams.
 
Rutgers-Camden improves to 5-4 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC, while William Paterson falls to 4-4-1 and 0-1.
 
The Scarlet Raptors now lead the all-time series, 14-12-7. They have won the last five meetings between the teams and gone 6-0-2 in the last eight head-to-head matchups.
 
In a game that saw each team take 17 shots, with many being blocked by defenders, the Pioneers struck first after All-NJAC senior back Marcus Hackett (Montclair, NJ/Immaculate Conception) found a loose ball in the box and crossed it toward the far right side. Junior midfielder Carlos Arevalo (North Haledon, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) slid it into the net, shaking himself up in the process when he clipped the right post. His fourth goal of the season came at 21:36.
 
Rutgers-Camden tied the game nearly 12 minutes later on the first career goal by sophomore midfielder Matt Foster (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township). In a crowd in the box, he took a feed from junior midfielder Jeramey Robbins (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston) and tapped in the tying goal at 33:21.
 
Moments later, the Scarlet Raptors took the lead for good when senior midfielder Joe Auleta (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) crossed the ball outside the box to junior midfielder Grant Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham). Taylor made a move to the left and ripped a left-footed shot from the top of the box into the left side of the net. His goal, at 36:44, was his first tally of the season and the first game-winning goal of his career.
 
The Scarlet Raptors added their final goal in the second half on an unassisted tally by junior midfielder Connor Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep), who drilled a bullet from the top of the box into the left side of the net. It was Hurff's first goal of the season.
 
Paterson had some dangerous threats late in the game, but the Raptor defense held off the Pioneers, aided by a backsave from Robbins. Rutgers-Camden sophomore goalie Eric Bumbera (Wall, NJ/Wall) made five saves, while his counterpart, sophomore Mike Diacheysn (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) notched four saves for the Pioneers.
 
Both teams return to NJAC action with 1 p.m. games on Saturday. Paterson hosts Ramapo College, while Rutgers-Camden visits New Jersey City University.