Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 3, 2015) – For over 80 minutes, the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team was locked in a hard-fought scoreless tie against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the opening game of a new era under first-year Head Coach David Hodgson.
 
The Engineers, however, finally broke the deadlock on a goal by local product Ali Zumpetta (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape), and RPI went on to spoil the Scarlet Raptors' 2015 debut with a 1-0 debut.
 
The game marked only the fourth time in the 18-year history of the Rutgers-Camden women's soccer program that the Scarlet Raptors opened their season at home. They also played season openers at home in 2001, 2005 and 2011, going a combined 1-1-1 in those three contests.
 
RPI, which will play its first eight games of the season away from home, improves to 1-0-1. The Engineers opened their season Tuesday with a 2-2 tie at Oneonta State.
 
Both teams showed surges of offense and tough defense in the back-and-forth contest, with RPI finally out-shooting Rutgers-Camden, 15-12, on a late-game surge. The Engineers also had a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
 
RPI's late pressure paid off at 80:54 when sophomore forward Jessica Dabney (Austin, TX/James Bowie) sent a cross into traffic in the box from the left side. It deflected off Raptor sophomore keeper Katie Gurba (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross), trying to break up the play, and was finished by Zumpetta for her first goal of the season.
 
That tally was the deciding goal in a strong opening-day effort by the Scarlet Raptors, whose 12 shots were more than they tallied in 12 of their 18 games in 2014. Five of those shots were on goal and saved by RPI sophomore keeper Tori Riopelle (Ashburn, VA/Briar Woods), who earned her first shutout of the year. Junior forwards Catherine Fiore (Collingswood, NJ/Paul VI) and Rebecca Maguire (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) both had two shots on goal, while senior midfielder Tori Gerstenacker (Howell, NJ/Howell) added one.
 
Defensively, the Scarlet Raptors limited RPI to seven shots on goal, with Gurba making six saves.
 
Rutgers-Camden gets right back out on its home pitch Friday night when it hosts Cabrini College at 7 p.m. That game will mark only the second time in program history, after 2001, that the Raptors have played their first two games of a season at home.
 
RPI will play at the Farmingdale State Tournament over the weekend, facing Western Connecticut State at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in its first game.