CAMDEN, N.J. (Aug. 25, 2021) – The 2020 New Jersey Athletic Conference women's soccer season was a brief, pandemic-altered schedule held during the 2021 spring semester. Although the regular-season was limited to five games, it did serve notice that the Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors had developed into a powerful force in the conference.
Rutgers-Camden won its first four games, posted five straight shutouts to open the season and ended up capturing the NJAC regular-season title for the first time in program history. The Scarlet Raptors earned the NJAC's top playoff seed for the first time and continued their success with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Ramapo College before dropping a tight 1-0 decision against Montclair State in the NJAC championship game.
With a 5-1-1 record (4-0-1 in the NJAC regular season), the Scarlet Raptors earned plenty of respect, which was reflected when the NJAC pre-season women's soccer poll was released today.
NJAC coaches not only tabbed Rutgers-Camden for fourth place in the 10-team league, but also selected the Scarlet Raptors as the conference's "dark horse" team. The fourth-place prediction marked the highest the Raptors have ever placed in the coaches' pre-season poll. Their previous high was fifth, in both 2004 and 2019.
With only seven NJAC teams opting to play last spring, there wasn't a pre-season poll. In the poll released today, perennial power The College of New Jersey received eight of the 10 first-place votes to finish first. The Lions didn't play during the spring pandemic season. Tabbed for second, and receiving the other two first-place votes, is defending NJAC champion Montclair State.
Rutgers-Camden 2021 schedule
Rutgers-Camden established numerous program records during its spring season in March and April. The Raptors opened the year with 523:31 consecutive shutout minutes, their longest shutout streak in program history. The previous mark of 466:59 was set in 2007. They posted a 5-0-1 record through their first six games, second only to a 7-0 start in 2001, but the 5-0-1 mark was compiled exclusively against NJAC teams, the longest unbeaten string ever against NJAC-only opponents. That streak included four straight wins against NJAC teams, another program first.
As
Steve Weaver begins his fifth season as the Scarlet Raptors' head coach, he returns practically his whole team from the spring semester, while adding several talented newcomers. Among the returning stars are All-NJAC performers
Breana Winder (NJAC First Team),
India Barnes (Second Team),
Lauren Calabria (Second Team),
Maggie Horn (Second Team) and
Lindsey Rucci (Honorable Mention). Winder and Barnes, a pair of stellar center backs who are a senior and sophomore, respectively, formed the middle of an outstanding back line that also included seniors Rucci and
Sophia Spadano. Winder, one of the outstanding players in the conference, has earned All-NJAC honors every year of her career, while also capturing Rookie of the Year recognition in 2018.
The Scarlet Raptors featured an outstanding pair of freshman goalies during the spring semester, as
Chloe Beasley and
Kayla McKeever combined to post a 0.28 goals-against average, allowing two goals in the Raptors' seven games. Both players return this season.
Horn returns to a strong midfield that also features junior
Lindsay Hernandez, the team's leading scorer (one goal and three assist for five points). Hernandez was a NJAC Honorable Mention player in 2019. Horn scored four points in the spring on a team-leading two goals.
Two other outstanding midfielders, who saw their spring season cut short by injuries, are junior
Lauren Bone (0-1-1) and sophomore
Hailey Gould (1-1-3).
Up top, Calabria scored one goal in the brief spring season and returns as a two-time All-NJAC player. She was a NJAC Honorable Mention player in 2019, in addition to her Second Team honors last year. In their seven games last spring, the Scarlet Raptors received points from 11 players, including speedy junior forward
Mya Bocchicchio (1-1-3) and senior
Ava Pizzaro (1-0-2).
The Scarlet Raptors will open their season at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, when they host Elizabethtown College. They open their NJAC schedule Sept. 18 at defending champion Montclair State University.
