Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 27, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team has seen enough of nationally-ranked programs on its home field.
 
The Scarlet Raptors played another scrappy game against a nationally-ranked team here Wednesday night before dropping a 5-0 decision against New Jersey Athletic Conference powerhouse The College of New Jersey.
 
The Lions, ranked No. 2 nationally in the D3soccer.com Top 25 poll and No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Div. III poll, improve to 8-0-0 overall and 3-0 in the NJAC. The Lions have outscored their eight opponents, 36-0, this season.
 
Rutgers-Camden falls to 3-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference with its fourth straight loss. Two of them have come against national powers, including the loss to TCNJ and a home defeat a week earlier against No. 11/11 Johns Hopkins University, a team whose only defeat came against TCNJ.
 
The Lions' win raised their all-time record to 17-1 against Rutgers-Camden, including 15 shutouts. The Scarlet Raptors' lone win in the series came on Sept. 24, 2003 in Camden by a 1-0 score.
 
Although the Lions held big advantages in shots (35-4) and corner kicks (9-0), the Scarlet Raptors did an effective job of limiting the damage, despite TCNJ's territorial control. The Rutgers-Camden goalie duo of freshman Kyrsten Piper (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) and senior Katie Gurba (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross) both played a full half, making six saves apiece. Piper allowed three goals in the opening half and Gurba had two scored on her in the second half.
 
The Lions' first two goals were both set up by senior midfielder Kayla Bertolino (Medford, NJ/Shawnee). Bertolino's cross was headed into the net just 5:13 into the game by senior forward Christine Levering (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville), giving the TCNJ sharpshooter her team-leading seventh goal of the season.
 
Exactly 11 minutes later, Bertolino assisted when senior midfielder Jessica Goldman (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) flicked in her third goal of the season at the left post.
 
Late in the first half, Piper made a fine save off a direct kick by sophomore midfielder Alexa Pestritto (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley), but the following scramble saw freshman back Devon McDonough (Monmouth Beach, NJ/shore Regional) feed sophomore midfielder Alexa Beatty (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) for a goal at 42:27. It was Beatty's second goal of the season.
 
The Scarlet Raptors' defense kept the contest a three-goal game until late in the contest, when sophomore midfielder Despina Lianidis (Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional) collected her second goal of the season at 73:23. She headed home a cross from senior forward Hannah Richman (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township).
 
Richman closed out the scoring at 81:41 on a rocket shot to the upper right corner. It was her fifth tally of the year.
 
Sophomore goalie Nicole DiPasquale (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) made three saves, all in the second half, to continue TCNJ's season-opening shutout streak to eight games.
 
Both teams return to NJAC action with 1 p.m. games on Saturday. TCNJ hosts Rutgers-Newark, while Rutgers-Camden plays at Ramapo College.