Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 23, 2015) – Senior forward Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) has accomplished just about everything there is to do on the soccer pitch at Rutgers University-Camden.
 
Until Wednesday night, however, the Scarlet Raptors' All-American had never had a four-goal, nine-point night.
 
Check that off the bucket list.
 
Ryan notched four goals and one assist for his fourth career hat trick and the Scarlet Raptors scored the first seven goals of the game as they defeated Misericordia University, 7-1, in a non-conference game. Every goal was scored in the first half and the Raptors went on to close out their fourth straight win and run their unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1).
 
Rutgers-Camden, ranked No. 24 nationally in this week's D3soccer.com Top 25 poll, improves to 7-1-1, while Misericordia falls to 4-2-1.
 
The victory was the Scarlet Raptors' biggest win since opening the season with a 9-0 shutout over Rosemont College Sept. 1. Prior to that, Rutgers-Camden's biggest scoring output was an 8-0 win over Centenary College on Sept. 16, 2007.
 
After the Cougars took the game's first shot only 12 seconds into the action, Rutgers-Camden came back and scored on its first tally at 1:37. Freshman midfielder Eric Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) notched his first career goal after taking a feed from sophomore midfielder Brad Maine (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) and ripping a 30-yard shot into the left side of the net.

 
It didn't take long for Ryan to make it a 2-0 game. Senior midfielder Connor Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) sent a perfect cross through the box toward the right post. Ryan ran onto the ball to tuck in his first goal of the night at 7:44. Moments later, he was back for more after being taken down in the box on a breakaway. He scored his second goal on a penalty kick at 8:39.
 
Ryan completed his fourth career hat trick at 12:54 after taking a feed from Maine at the top right of the box. With several nifty moves, he beat a Misericordia defender and drilled in his third goal of the game.
 
The Scarlet Raptors made it a 5-0 game at 23:38 when junior back Mike Naylor (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook Regional) headed home a corner kick from senior midfielder Grant Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham) at the far left post. It was Naylor's first goal of the season.
 
Taylor notched his second goal of the season less than one minute later, coming at 24:35 off an assist from Ryan. Ryan finished up his four-goal night at 26:51, assisted by Connor Hurff.
 
The four goals placed Ryan in a five-way tie for the second-most goals in a single game in program history. The last person to accomplish the feat was Mike Zeno, against Widener University on Sept. 7, 1994. The program record of six goals was set by Kadalah Kromah against Baptist Bible on Oct. 30, 1973.
 
The hat trick was Ryan's second of the season, after opening the year with a three-goal game against Rosemont. The nine points, meanwhile, tied Ruthven Williams (three goals, three assists against Monmouth, Oct. 16, 1976) for the third-highest single-game total in program history. Kromah also owns that mark with his six-goal, 12-point game.
 
Ryan's nine points also hiked his career total to 152 (68 goals, 16 assists), vaulting him to fourth place on the all-time list among all players in New Jersey Athletic Conference history. He is only six points behind third-place Herman Maldonado (Richard Stockton College, 1983-86).
 
Misericordia finally broke the Raptors' shutout bid after a foul gave the Cougars a restart right outside the box late in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Devin Marriott (Montoursville, PA/Montoursville) took the kick and scored his second goal of the season.
 
In a game that featured numerous subs, including three goalies on each side, Rutgers-Camden finished with a 16-15 edge in shots and a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Freshman keeper James Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) made one save in 29:05 to run his record to 7-1-1 for Rutgers-Camden. Sophomore Drew Slater (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) had four saves and allowed the one goal in 45:13, while junior Emilio Rodriguez (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) made one save in the final 15:42.
 
For Misericordia, senior P.J. Steiner (Millville, PA/Millville) was the tough-luck starting goalie, allowing all seven tallies in 27:23. He made two of the team's four saves.
 
Misericordia returns to action Saturday with a 7 p.m. game at Messiah College. Rutgers-Camden is idle until Wednesday, Sept. 30, when it hosts Rowan University in a 7 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game.