MONTCLAIR, N.J. (Oct. 22, 2022) – Throughout the New Jersey Athletic Conference season, no team had been able to put a blemish on the Montclair State University record as the Red Hawks clinched the regular-season NJAC title.
Yet on Saturday afternoon, Rutgers University-Camden managed to play to a 0-0 draw with the Powerful Red Hawks, leaving Montclair State with a 7-0-1 NJAC record. For the Red Hawks, who entered the game ranked 10th nationally in both the United Soccer Coaches Division III Top 25 poll and in the D3soccer.com Top 25 poll, the tie snapped a six-game winning streak and left them with a 12-1-4 record. Their other three ties all came in their first five games of the season.
The deadlock gave Rutgers-Camden a huge point in its battle for seeding in the upcoming NJAC playoffs, but with the other conference results on Saturday, the Scarlet Raptors technically slipped into fifth place in the standings. Both Rutgers-Camden and Rowan own 3-2-3 conference records for 12 points, but the Profs own the tie-breaker by beating the Scarlet Raptors earlier this season. Ramapo and Rutgers-Newark are tied with 14 points, sitting behind Montclair State (22 points).
The top six teams qualify for the playoffs, with the top four guaranteed one playoff game. The third and fourth seeds will host a first-round game Oct. 29, while the top two seeds have byes into the semifinals.
With a 6-7-6 record overall, Rutgers-Camden has its most ties since the Scarlet Raptors' first season under Head Coach
Tim Oswald in 2006, when the team posted a 13-4-6 record.
Although Montclair State held a 14-5 advantage in shots, both teams had only three shots on goal. Raptor sophomore keeper
Sean Boen and MSU graduate student goalie Shane Keenan had three saves apiece.
Montclair State held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
Rutgers-Camden closes its regular-season schedule Wednesday night when it entertains The College of New Jersey in a 7 p.m. NJAC game. Rutgers-Newark and NJCU play each other the same day at 3 p.m. in Jersey City, while Ramapo plays a 7 p.m. game at William Paterson University and Rowan hosts Stockton University at 7:30 p.m.
