CAMDEN, N.J. (Oct. 10, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team brought playoff intensity to the regular season here Wednesday night, but this wasn't just any old regular-season game.
What the Scarlet Raptors accomplished in a 0-0 double-overtime tie against powerful Rowan University was to prove they have arrived among the top programs in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and can play with a nationally-ranked program. Rowan, 9-1-2 overall and 4-0-2 in the NJAC, entered the game ranked No. 25 in the latest
D3soccer.com Top 25 poll and ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III South Atlantic Region.
The result leaves the Scarlet Raptors with a 6-5-2 record overall and a 3-1-2 mark in the conference. It also leaves them with only their third point ever in the 20 games they have played against Rowan. The Profs lead the all-time series 17-0-3, and had won their last nine games against the Scarlet Raptors. Rutgers-Camden hadn't earned as much as a tie against Rowan since a scoreless game in 2008.
In a hard-fought battle at Rutgers-Camden Community Park, the Scarlet Raptors weathered a first-half storm by the Profs, who launched 12 shots at sophomore goalie
Natalie Eberhardt. Eberhardt made seven first-half saves, including several huge ones, to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
In the second half, although Rowan still had more shots, the Scarlet Raptors stepped up the intensity and throttled an offense that had out-scored opponents, 48-4, in its first 11 games. Eberhardt, a first-year Raptor who transferred from West Chester University, finished with her Raptor high of 12 saves, but also had plenty of help from a back line featuring senior captain
Brielle Stoner and a trio of freshmen in
Breana Winder, Sophia Spadano (pictured above) and
Lindsey Rucci. The back four helped to clamp down on dangerous Rowan junior forward Daria Jones, who entered the game with 11 goals and three assists for 25 points.
The Raptors received stellar work up and down the lineup and off the bench, sparked in the midfield by their talented upperclassmen and captains in senior
Melissa Peel and junior
Sarah Zuzulock. Their own dangerous forward and fourth captain, sophomore
Meghan Wachira, nearly worked her scoring magic on several occasions. In the second overtime period, however, it was freshman forward
Ava Pizzaro who had the best chance for the Scarlet Raptors, breaking in on goal down the right side before hitting the outside of the right panel.
Rowan finished with a 23-8 advantage in shots and a 9-3 margin in corner kicks, but it was 12-4 in shots and 5-0 in corner kicks in the first half.
While Eberhardt was making her 12 saves and earning her third shutout, Rowan keeper Shelby Money notched her sixth shutout with three saves.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Saturday when it hosts Ramapo College in a 1 p.m. Senior Day game. The Scarlet Raptors will honor their quartet of seniors,
Liz DiCamillo, Lexis Evans, Peel and Stoner.
