Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 30, 2015) – The men's soccer showdown here Wednesday night was more than just a battle between two of the top teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. It was a 90-minute thriller between two of the top Division III teams in the nation.
 

In the end, it took a goal by a player appearing in his first game of the season and a clutch backsave in the 89th minute to lead Rutgers University-Camden over Rowan University, 1-0, at Rutgers-Camden Community Park.
 
The Scarlet Raptors, ranked No. 17 in this week's D3soccer.com Top 25 poll, improve to 8-1-1 overall and 3-0 in the NJAC with their fifth consecutive win. They ran their unbeaten streak to seven games (6-0-1).
 
Rowan, ranked No. 25 in the latest D3soccer.com poll, falls to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC, snapping its seven-game winning streak.
 
The victory was the Scarlet Raptors' seventh win over the Profs in the last eight tries and avenged a late-game 1-0 loss in Glassboro last season. Rowan leads the all-time series, 36-11-3.
 
In a game befitting a pair of high-powered offenses, it was stellar defensive efforts, and a couple close misses, that kept the game scoreless most of the night. Rutgers-Camden entered the game with 28 goals in its first nine games, including seven in its previous outing. Rowan, meanwhile, had outscored teams 33-5 during its seven-game winning streak.
 
A pair of freshmen goalkeepers, the Raptors' James Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) and the Profs' Kyle Dennis (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) made four saves apiece and received plenty of help from their defense along the way. It wasn't until the 72:34 mark when Rutgers-Camden notched the only goal of the game, scored on a header by sophomore midfielder Clayton Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham), playing in his first game after being sidelined early in the season. Senior forward Riquan King (Winslow, NJ/Winslow Township) lofted a perfect cross from the left side of the box toward the far post, and Taylor headed home his first goal of the season.

 
That goal held up, but not without some anxious moments for the Scarlet Raptors, as Rowan pushed for the tying goal. With time winding down, the Profs' sophomore forward Travis Ward (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) headed the ball at the far left post on what looked like the game-tying goal. Raptor junior back Mike Naylor (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook Regional) came out of nowhere to head the ball clear of the net with 1:38 remaining.
 
Rowan held a 15-11 advantage in shots for the game, including a 7-3 margin in the first half. The Profs had an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
 
Both teams return to NJAC action with road games on Saturday. Rowan plays a 1 p.m. contest at Ramapo College, while Rutgers-Camden visits Kean University for a 4 p.m. game.