Box Score

ANNVILLE, Penn. (Nov. 19, 2017) – Throughout its journey to the 2017 ECAC Division III Men's Soccer Championship game, the Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team exhibited the skills and magic that has become a part of its lore in that post-season tournament.
 
That magic deserted the Scarlet Raptors in the final as they fell into a three-goal hole and lost to host and defending ECAC champion Lebanon Valley College, 3-2, here Sunday afternoon.
 
The top-seeded Dutchmen, who won last year's ECAC crown, 2-1, over Drew University, close their season at 15-5-1.  The Scarlet Raptors end at 11-9-4, losing in an ECAC championship game for the first time in their history. They have won four ECAC titles (2006, 2007, 2010 and 2014) and now own a 15-5 overall record in nine ECAC tournaments.

Bracket

 

Competing on a field that became so unplayable during Saturday's semifinal win against New York University that the game was called at 70:24, the Raptors felt the effect of those conditions early in the game. Early in the first half, Raptor junior goalie James Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) went out for the ball and slipped, allowing Lebanon Valley freshman midfielder Kazuya Hirano (Japan/Faith Christian Academy, PA) to score his first goal on a ball past the defense. The tally, at 14:48, was assisted by eventual tournament MVP Tyler Skye (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional), a senior forward/midfielder. It was the lone tally of the first half, in which the Scarlet Raptors held a 6-4 advantage in shots.
 
It didn't take long for the Dutchmen to double their lead in the second half. Only 2:53 after the break ended, LVC junior defender/midfielder Riley Katshir (Camp Hill, PA/Cumberland Valley) collected his fifth goal of the season. A shot by senior forward/midfielder Austin Freeman (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg) was saved by Brett, but bounced to Katshir for the tap in on the right side.
 
Lebanon Valley, which held a 14-5 advantage in shots in the second half, made it a 3-0 game at 58:18. Skye scored his seventh goal of the year on a shot from the left side. The Dutchmen had the chance to make it a 4-0 game two minutes later, but a penalty shot by Skye was saved by Brett. Brett also made a save off a LVC header seven minutes later.
 
Trailing, 3-0, as the game approached the final 10 minutes, the Scarlet Raptors started making some noise. At 78:15, a shot by sophomore midfielder Patrick Grudnik (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) was saved by LVC senior goalie Cam Avery (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), but the ball fell to junior back Brian Palangi (Deptford, NJ/Deptford), who assisted junior back Darnell Brown (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) for the tap in. It was Brown's sixth goal of the season and Palangi's first assist.
 
Palangi struck with a rocket shot from just outside the box at 87:08, making it a 3-2 game, but that was the last shot either team managed. Lebanon Valley finished with an 18-11 advantage in shots, including a 10-6 margin of shots on goal, and an 8-4 edge in corner kicks. Brett made seven saves in the Raptors net. Avery had three saves and was aided by a backsave too.
 
Four members of the Scarlet Raptors made the all-tournament team (pictured above with all-tourney members from LVC),  including Brett (number 00 in the photo), Palangi (29), senior midfielder Clayton Taylor (Mendham, NJ/West Morris-Mendham) and senior midfielder/forward Brad Maine (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic). Taylor is sporting the black Rutgers jacket in the photo, while Maine is No. 9.
 
The final contest of his four-year career marked the 92nd game as a Scarlet Raptor for Maine, who finished fourth on the program's all-time list for games played. He trailed only career leader Joe Auleta (97 games from 2011-14), Mike Ryan (96, 2012-15) and Mitch Grotti (93, 2010-13).