Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 6, 2017) – On a soggy night here Wednesday at Rutgers-Camden Community Park, rain wasn't the only thing falling in abundance.
 
With the slippery conditions, goals also were plentiful as the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team played a non-conference game against Widener University. The two teams combined for 10 tallies, but it was the Pride that scored four of the last five goals as they defeated the Scarlet Raptors, 6-4.
 
Widener improves to 2-1 on the young season. Rutgers-Camden falls to 0-2, despite collecting the most goals the Raptors have tallied since a 5-0 victory over New Jersey City University on Oct. 20, 2015.
 
After being shut out, 3-0, by Elizabethtown College in their season opener on Friday, the Scarlet Raptors notched their first goal of the season at 0:16. Junior midfielder Melissa Peel (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) sent a shot from the right top side of the box to the back left panel, assisted by forward Meghan Wachira (Plainsboro, NJ/West Wndsor-Plainsboro North). Wachira, a sophomore academically with freshman athletic eligibility, and Peel both collected a goal and an assist in the game.
 
Widener tied the game in the 18th minute when the wet ball slipped out of the grasp of Raptor senior goalkeeper Katie Gurba (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross), setting up senior forward Lauren Wilson (National Park, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) to finish off her first goal of the season.
 
The teams traded two more goals before halftime, as Raptor senior forward Cassidy McSorley (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) beat Widener senior keeper Sam Thach (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) to a through ball at the top of the box and chipped in a goal at 19:17. She was assisted by sophomore midfielder Sarah Zuzulock (National Park, NJ/Gateway Regional).
 
Widener countered with the tying goal at 30:47 as sophomore forward Lexi Slusher (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) headed home a feed from junior forward Brielle Errico (Monmouth Junction, NJ/South Brunswick). Errico started the play with a restart from just outside the box on the left side, near the goal line.
 
Early in the second half, a long through ball by Peel sprung Wachira on a breakaway, giving the Raptors a 3-2 lead at the 51:36 mark. Once again, Widener tied the game as senior midfielder Eva Reyes (Cranbury, NJ/Princeton) scored on a long shot from the left side into the right upper corner at 59:08. Her goal was assisted by sophomore forward Alyssa Dionisio (Philadelphia, PA/Villa Joseph Marie), who soon added another assist on the goal that gave Widener the lead for good. That tally, coming in the 64th minute, was scored by freshman forward Abby Fenton (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford).
 
Widener opened up its lead to 6-3 on a pair of perfect restart goals from junior midfielder Shea Scannell (Linwood, NJ/Mainland).  Her first shot, from just outside the top of the box, sailed over the Raptor wall and into the right side of the net at 74:39. Eight minutes later, at 82:36, she banked one off the underside of the crossbar on the left side of the net and into the goal.
 
The Scarlet Raptors completed the scoring only 20 seconds later as sophomore forward Savanna Celia (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) collected her first collegiate goal, assisted by sophomore back Maddie Blanda (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights).
 
Widener outshot Rutgers-Camden, 19-10, and held an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks. Thach made two saves for the Pride, while Gurba notched four saves for the Scarlet Raptors.
  
Rutgers-Camden will host a pair of non-conference opponents this weekend at 11 a.m. both days. The Scarlet Raptors face Shenandoah University on Saturday and North Carolina Wesleyan University Sunday.