One of the all-around leaders at Rutgers University-Camden, Derek Lynch has been a two-time Co-Chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), was named the soccer program’s Most Dedicated Player for the 2014 season and is a three-year Scarlet Raptor letterman.
Lynch, a center back, enters his fourth and final season with the men’s soccer program this fall. He has played in 41 career games, starting 18, and adding one assist. During his career, the Raptors have been to three New Jersey Athletic Conference championship games, winning two, have played in the 2013 NCAA Division III title game and captured the 2014 ECAC Division III Metro/Upstate Men’s Soccer Championship crown.
Soccer 2014: Played in 18 games, starting 14…Played in five of the Scarlet Raptors’ eight shutouts, starting four of those games…Named the team’s Most Dedicated Player…Started both games of the Cialella Soccer Classic (Sept. 6-7) as the Scarlet Raptors won the title with a 2-1 win over Drew University and a 4-0 victory over Susquehanna University…Helped limit The College of New Jersey to only six shots – the season low for the Raptor defense – in a 3-0 Rutgers-Camden victory (Oct. 16)…Started both Raptor victories in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs, a 1-0 win over William Paterson University (Nov. 1) and a 3-1 semifinal win at Rutgers-Newark (Nov. 4)…Played the entire 90 minutes in three games, coming against Eastern University (Sept. 10), Lynchburg College (Sept. 13) and William Paterson (Sept. 24).
Soccer 2013: Played in 16 games as a sophomore back, starting four…Named the Defensive MVP and a member of the all-tournament team at the Cialella Soccer Classic (Sept. 7-8) after helping the Scarlet Raptors post 5-0 shutouts over both Eastern Mennonite University and Arcadia University on back-to-back days…Rutgers-Camden posted a shutout in all four of his starts, including the two at the Cialella Soccer Classic, a 5-0 win over Eastern University (Sept. 11) and a 0-0 deadlock against Montclair State University (Oct. 12)…Played all 110 minutes in the tie against the Red Hawks…Overall, he contributed to nine shutouts as Rutgers-Camden tied a program record with 12 shutouts…Final contest came during the Raptors’ first NCAA tournament game, a 4-0 victory over Lycoming College (Nov. 17)…Rutgers-Camden went on to reach the NCAA Division III championship game and finish the season with a program-record 23-1-2 record.
Soccer 2012: Appeared in seven games during his freshman season at Rutgers-Camden…Collected one assist for one point…Made collegiate debut in a 3-0 victory over Wesley College (Sept. 2) during the Blue Jay Classic at Johns Hopkins University…Helped the Raptors post a pair of shutouts to win their annual Cialella Soccer Classic, defeating St. Joseph’s College-Long Island 5-0 (Sept. 8) and Arcadia University 3-0 (Sept. 9)…In the win over St. Joseph’s, he collected his first collegiate assist on the game’s final goal to produce a hat trick by Mitch Grotti…In his seven appearances, the Raptors outscored opponents, 27-1, and produced six shutouts.
High School: Earned four varsity soccer letters at Somerville High School for Coach Brian Smith… Earned First Team All-Skyland Conference, Second Team All-Somerset County and Honorable Mention All-Area and Honorable Mention All-State as a senior…Team captain and Defensive MVP during his senior season…As a junior, named to the All-Skyland Conference and All- Somerset County second teams…Compiled a 3.4 GPA.
Personal: Born December 5, 1993…Co-Chair of Rutgers-Camden’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 scholastic years…Played club soccer for FC Copa Boca, serving as team captain from 2009-12…Won the FC Copa Player Award in 2009 and the FC Copa Most Outstanding Senior Award in 2012…Nicknamed “Drek”…Participated in a Christmas charity gift distribution at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden…Hobbies include playing FIFA soccer…Favorite food is chicken bacon ranch pizza…Always says a prayer before each game…Criminal Justice major at Rutgers-Camden who plans to become a law enforcement officer…Derek is the son of John and Ruthe Lynch of Branchburg.
