CAMDEN, N.J. (March 31, 2021) – In a season of firsts, the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team established another major one here Wednesday night.
 
For the second consecutive game, the Scarlet Raptors weathered rainy conditions as they battled Montclair State University to a 0-0 double-overtime tie in a game that determined the top seed in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs.
 
With the tie, the Raptors secured the No. 1 NJAC playoff seed for the first time in their program's history. Already owning a first-round bye, they will host a semifinal game on Saturday, April 10, against an opponent to be determined. If they win that game, they also would host the conference championship game.
 
The last time Rutgers-Camden hosted a home NJAC playoff game was on Oct. 27, 2018, when the fourth-seeded Scarlet Raptors lost a first-round game, 2-1, against fifth-seeded Montclair State.
 
The tie leaves Rutgers-Camden with a 4-0-1 record overall and in the NJAC, while Montclair State secured the second seed with a 3-0-2 mark overall and in the conference.
 
The result was the fifth consecutive shutout for the Raptors, tying the 2004 team for the most consecutive shutouts to open a season. That 2004 team, however, didn't own five straight shutouts against NJAC competition, something only this year's Scarlet Raptors have accomplished.
 
The tie against a perennially-strong Montclair State team, meanwhile, was only the third draw against the Red Hawks in program history. Rutgers-Camden is now 0-21-3 in its all-time series against Montclair State, with ties at home in both 2018 (1-1, Sept. 15) and in 2002 (0-0, Sept. 21).
 
The Red Hawks pushed the Scarlet Raptors to the limit in the opening period, holding an 8-1 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks, but the Rutgers-Camden defense held tough in front of freshman goalie Chloe Beasley, who worked overtime to notch her first collegiate shutout. She had shared three previous shutouts with fellow freshman Kayla McKeever. Beasley made one save in the opening half and two in the second overtime period to finish with the shutout, while doing a fine job controlling the box.
 
Montclair State keeper Phoebe Bledsoe finished with four saves, all coming in the second half when Rutgers-Camden held a 5-1 advantage in shots.
 
For the game, Montclair State led in shots, 11-6, and in corner kicks, 6-3. The Scarlet Raptors held a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, including two close chances by junior forward Ava Pizzaro that were saved by Bledsoe.