Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Sept. 8, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Camden and Emory University soccer teams will play for the title at the 18th annual Cialella Soccer Classic after both winning their opening-day games here Saturday.
 
Emory, ranked No. 8 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches pre-season Division III poll, edged Rowan University, 1-0, in the first game of the day. In the second game, host Rutgers-Camden outlasted the College of Staten Island, 3-1.
 
The Cialella Soccer Classic concludes on Sunday when Rutgers-Camden faces Emory at 2 p.m. and Rowan battles Staten Island at 4:30 p.m.
 
The event is named for Dr. Ed Cialella, who served Rutgers-Camden as a student-athlete, coach, educator and athletic director from the mid-1960s until his retirement in December, 2002.
   
In a tough game between the eighth-ranked Eagles (3-0) and Rowan (2-2), which received votes to the pre-season Top 25 poll, the difference in the game proved to be a first-half goal by Emory junior Keegan McCombie. He converted a feed from junior Jun Tsuru and knocked home the only goal off the crossbar at 36:53.
 
Emory held an 8-7 edge in shots and both teams had three corner kicks. Pressing for the tying goal, Rowan held a 6-3 shots advantage in the second half, when it also collected all three of its corner kicks.
 
Emory sophomore keeper Cole Gallagher notched two saves in his shutout, while Rowan senior Kyle Dennis made three saves.
   
The Dolphins (2-1) dominated the first half, forcing Raptor senior keeper James Brett to make eight saves, several of them spectacular. Despite an 11-3 advantage in first-half shots, however, Staten Island watched Rutgers-Camden score the half's lone goal when junior midfielder Zach Fox sprung sophomore forward Skyler Diggs for a one-on-one with Dolphins keeper Christian Carucci. With Carucci charging out of the net in a vain attempt to break up the play, Diggs worked his way around the keeper and fired into an open net at 15:19. It was the third goal of the year for Diggs, pictured above.
 
Rutgers-Camden added an early goal 5:55 into the second half on a pass from junior midfielder Chris Taraska to junior midfielder Patrick Grudnik, who finished off his second goal of the season. Staten Island, however, made it a one-goal game at 64:12 after some hard work by Philip Lefkowitz on the right side resulted in a cross to Joe Bolella for the finishing touch.
 
Rutgers-Camden added an insurance goal at 79:31 when Diggs sent a perfect cross from near the right end line toward the far post. It was finished by freshman midfielder Kaito Kitazawa for his second goal of the year.
 
Staten Island finished with a 13-9 advantage in shots and Rutgers-Camden held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks. Brett made all eight of his saves in the opening half, while Carucci finished with two saves.