Box Score

SALISBURY, Md. (Sept. 2, 2016) – Many questions faced the Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team entering the 2016 season, chief among them being where the offense will come from.
 
After a slow start in their season opener, the Scarlet Raptors found some of that offense as they rallied to tie St. Mary's College of Maryland, 3-3 in double overtime, at Salisbury University's Elmer Lord Memorial Classic. Rutgers-Camden came back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 as juniors Aaron Muse (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) and Clayton Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham) collected one goal and one assist apiece. Two other juniors jumped into the scoring column as Shane Guyer (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) scored a goal and Brad Maine (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) notched an assist.
 
In the opening game of the Elmer Lord Memorial Classic, host Salisbury defeated Wilson College, 8-0.
 
Saturday's action at the Elmer Lord Memorial Classic was cancelled due to the hurricane coming up the coast.
 
Rutgers-Camden which returned only 10 of its 47 goals and eight of its 38 assists from last year, fell into a 1-0 hole by halftime as the Seahawks' senior midfielder Nick Tait (Silver Spring, MD/Sandy Spring Friends School) tallied in the 21st minute. That goal was the highlight of a first half dominated by St. Mary's, which held a 13-0 advantage in shots during the first 45 minutes. Raptor sophomore goalie James Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) made five of his nine saves in the opening half.
 
It didn't take St. Mary's long to pad its lead in the second half. Only 3:12 into the half, Khalid Balogun (Washington, D.C./Bowie) made it a 2-0 game with his first goal of the season. Rutgers-Camden didn't dent the scoreboard until the 66th minute, when Guyer scored the Raptors' first goal of the year, assisted by Muse. Seven minutes later, however, the Seahawks answered on a goal by junior Emmanuel Oppong (Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake).
 
Trailing by two goals with time winding down, the Scarlet Raptors went to work. Muse cut the gap to 3-2, assisted by Taylor, at 79:58. Only 1:10 later, Rutgers-Camden tied the game on a goal by Taylor, assisted by Maine.
 
Over the last 65 minutes – the second half and two overtimes, the Raptors held a 14-13 edge in shots. Overall, St. Mary's out-shot Rutgers-Camden, 26-14.
 
Brett finished with six saves, while St. Mary's keeper Zach Haussler (Woodbine, MD/Gleneig) had three.
 
Rutgers-Camden, which is now 7-3-1 in season openers under 11th-year Head Coach Tim Oswald, opens its home season Wednesday with a 7 p.m. game against Alvernia University.