WAYNE, N.J. (Oct. 20, 2018) – While the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team is still waiting to see if it can nail down its first New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff home game since 2003, the Scarlet Raptors are busy building their resume and setting other program standards.
 
Freshmen Kayla de Guzman and Ava Pizzaro provided Rutgers-Camden with a goal in each half and the Scarlet Raptors went on to nail down a 2-0 NJAC win at William Paterson University Saturday night.
 
The victory lifts the Scarlet Raptors to 5-1-2 in the NJAC, tying the program's record for most conference wins in a season, set by the 2003 team (5-2-2 in the NJAC) and tied by the 2005 club (5-4). Rutgers-Camden also improved to 8-6-2 overall, giving the program its most wins since the 8-10-2 team from 2008. It also clinched the first winning regular season since the 2007 club went 10-6-4 during the regular season before finishing 11-8-4 after playing in both the NJAC and ECAC Metro tournaments.
 
The milestone that the Raptors are most focused on, however, is gaining a home game for the first round of the NJAC playoffs, which start on Oct. 27. The only home NJAC post-season game they have had in program history came in the 2003 season, when they lost to Rowan, 2-1.
 
Another home playoff berth won't be decided until the regular season ends. Rutgers-Camden currently sits in third place in the NJAC with 17 points, which would give it a home game if it maintains that spot. The Raptors, however, host fourth-place Stockton University at 7 p.m. Wednesday in their final regular-season game and the Ospreys sit in fourth place at 5-2-1 (16 points). Lurking only three points back of the Raptors is Montclair State (4-2-2, 14 points), which could conceivably jump the Raptors if it wins and Rutgers-Camden loses Wednesday. That, however, would depend on which team ends up winning the NJAC, headlined by a big game between the top two teams, Rowan and TCNJ on Wednesday night. Since one of the tie-breakers is head-to-head with teams from the top of the standings on down, it would factor in the case of a potential tie-breaker between Rutgers-Camden and Montclair State.
 
The Raptors notched the only goal they needed on the second career tally by de Guzman, who took a feed from the center of the box by senior midfielder Melissa Peel and finished one-on-one near the right side. It was de Guzman's first career game-winning goal and gave Peel her second assist of the season and the 13th of her stellar career. She moved all alone into 12th place on the career list, breaking a tie with Danielle Carty (1999-02). She is two assists shy of the 10th-place tie between Vanessa Maia (2007-10) and Lisa Boisvert (1999-02).
 
Rutgers-Camden added an insurance tally in the 86th minute when Pizzaro scored her sixth goal of the season, assisted by another stellar midfielder, junior Sarah Zuzulock. Zuzulock sent a corner kick to the center of the box, where Pizzaro finished. It gave Zuzulock her third assist of the season.
 
Rutgers-Camden held an 11-6 lead in shots, while William Paterson had a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.
 
Defensively, the Scarlet Raptors nailed down their sixth shutout of the season, their most since getting seven in 2014. Sophomore goalie Natalie Eberhardt made two saves to nail down her fourth individual shutout, while being aided by one backsave.
 
Paterson keeper Erica Hickey had four saves.