Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 20, 2017) – With an injury-depleted bench facing one of the strongest and deepest Division III teams in the nation, the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team knew it was facing a tough task in a non-conference game here Wednesday night.
 
The shorthanded Scarlet Raptors hustled their hearts out all night long, and even accomplished a rare feat against powerhouse Johns Hopkins University, before falling to the Blue Jays, 8-1.
 
Johns Hopkins, which is ranked No. 11 nationally in both the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Div. III poll and the D3soccer.com Top 25 poll, improves to 6-1-1. Rutgers-Camden falls to 3-4.
 
The game was the last contest of a season-opening seven-game home stand for Rutgers-Camden. The Scarlet Raptors play their first road contest Saturday with a 1 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference battle at Montclair State University.
 
With a banged up team, the Scarlet Raptors gave 100 percent throughout the evening while using only 14 players – two of them goalies. They had only two field position subs, compared to Hopkins' 13 players off the bench. Yet it was Rutgers-Camden which stunned the Blue Jays early when it scored 2:20 into the game, collecting only the second goal allowed all season by Hopkins and the first goal the Blue Jays allowed in regulation. The only other goal they allowed came in a 1-0 overtime loss to another nationally-ranked team, The College of New Jersey, on Sept. 7.
 
Rutgers-Camden's goal came when freshman forward Meghan Wachira (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North) sprung sophomore midfielder Sarah Zuzulock (National Park, NJ/Gateway Regional) on a breakaway. Zuzulock broke in alone against Hopkins senior keeper Bess Kitzmiller (Wilsonville, OR/Wilsonville) and beat the goalie from the top right side of the box for her third goal of the season.
 
Hopkins, which finished with a 28-2 advantage in shots, tied the game 10 minutes later when senior forward Michelle Santangelo (West Babylon, NY/Saint Anthony's) scored the first goal of her eventual hat trick. Her shot at the left post, near the goal line, came at 12:06 and was assisted by senior forward Bailey Monaco (South Salem, NY/John Jay).
 
Santangelo added the eventual game-winning goal seven minutes later, assisted by junior forward Kristen Hori (Honolulu, HI/Iolani School).  By the end of the first half, senior back Hallie Horvath (Washington, DC/National Cathedral School) and Monaco added goals to give Hopkins a 4-1 lead.
 
The Blue Jays added four second-half goals as sophomore midfielder Emily Maheras (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards), freshman midfielder Alexandra Damron (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield), Santangelo and Monaco found the net. Santangelo completed her hat trick in the 54th minute, giving her hat tricks in two consecutive games, including a 9-0 win over Bryn Mawr College Sunday.  It was the third hat trick of the season overall for the Blue Jays, who had one from freshman forward Riley O'Toole (San Diego, CA/Point Loma) earlier in the campaign.
 
Kitzmiller allowed the one Raptor goal and didn't make a save in earning the win. Freshman Kyrsten Piper (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) started in goal for the Scarlet Raptors, allowing four goals and making two saves in 31:03 of playing time. Senior Katie Gurba (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross) played the final 58:57, allowing four goals and making six saves.