Rutgers-Camden Athletics

Scarlet Raptors picked for fourth in NJAC men's soccer pre-season coaches' poll

8/27/2025 11:35:00 AM

CAMDEN, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2025) – The Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team has been a constant presence in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs throughout the majority of Head Coach Tim Oswald's career, and the Scarlet Raptors are looking to continue that trend this season.
 
As Oswald begins his 20th season at the helm of the Rutgers-Camden program, Rutgers-Camden is looking to earn its seventh NJAC playoff berth in the last eight seasons, including the fourth straight. During his first 19 seasons, Oswald has led the Scarlet Raptors into the NJAC playoffs on 15 occasions, reaching the conference finals six times and winning titles in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. The Scarlet Raptors also have reached the NJAC semifinals four other times, including last season, when they finished with an overall record of 9-7-5.
 
Rutgers-Camden is projected to be in the NJAC playoff mix again, according to the pre-season poll of the conference's 10 coaches. The coaches picked the Scarlet Raptors for fourth place in the conference, which would earn them another berth in the six-team NJAC playoffs that begin November 1.
 
Defending champion Rowan University was tabbed as the pre-season favorite in the poll, receiving eight first-place votes. Montclair State University was picked for second place, receiving one first-place vote, while Stockton University, Rutgers-Camden, Ramapo College and Rutgers University-Newark rounded out the third through sixth spots, respectively.
 
Kean University received one first-place vote and was tabbed for seventh place, followed by The College of New Jersey, which was tabbed as the NJAC's "dark horse" team. William Paterson University was predicted to finish ninth and New Jersey City University was tabbed for 10th.
 
Oswald brings a stellar 234-120-56 overall record into his 20th season and returns 26 lettermen, including the quartet of All-NJAC performers in seniors Eric Swen (NJAC First Team), Brandon Valeri (NJAC Second Team), and the NJAC Honorable Mention duo of Jason Garwood and Joseph Lodise. The 37-man squad also features 11 newcomers.
 
Swen, who has earned All-NJAC honors during each of his three seasons as a centerback, will primarily play up top this season, where he occasionally made appearances to spark the offense. He has scored six goals over the past two seasons, including three game winners.
 
Valeri, a workhorse in the midfield, played in all 21 Raptor games last season, while adding one assist and one game-winning goal. Lodise, another playmaker in the midfield, appeared in 19 games while earning his first all-conference honor, and Garwood, a superb back, contributed one goal and one assist while playing in all 21 games and helping the team post nine shutouts.
 
Valeri will be one of the team's four captains for the second straight season. He will join Garwood and two other seniors, defender Jason Stearn and midfielder Tommy Monaghan as team captains. Monaghan scored one goal in five early-season games before being sidelined with an injury.
 
Two big graduation losses in the defense include all-conference players in goalie Sean Boen and centerback Nick Yurcho. Boen played every minute in goal last season, notching nine shutouts and a 0.76 goals-against average. Yurcho contributed to those defensive statistics while adding one goal and one assist.
 
The Raptors' lone returning goalies are junior Chris Clune and senior Jordan Brickner.
 
Sophomore midfielder Youssef Montasser led the team in scoring last season with six points (two goals, two assists), while Rutgers-Camden also returns scoring punch from junior forwards Jason Angel (two goals, one assist for five points), Nathan Biersbach (2-0-4) and Rohan Castillo (2-0-4). Junior Isaiah Hamilton and senior Ethan Steinbiss both chipped in with one goal up top, while juniors Allen Jarrin and Miguel Graterol also add talent to the Raptor attack.
 
Senior back Grant Williams played in 20 games, while also contributing one assist and one game-winning goal, and sophomore midfielder Dylan Pino collected one assist in his 20 games.
 
The Scarlet Raptors open their season Friday, Aug. 29 with a 1 p.m. home game against St. John Fisher University. The game is part of an opening-day Cialella Classic doubleheader that includes the Rutgers-Camden women's soccer opener.