Rutgers-Camden Athletics

During his outstanding four-year career in the Rutgers-Camden midfield, Chris Taraska appeared in 68 games, starting 41, and compiling 14 assists to tie for 15th on the program’s career list. An all-conference player as a junior, Taraska added one goal for 16 career points.
 
One of the Scarlet Raptors’ co-captains in 2019, Taraska compiled numerous academic honors during his collegiate career, including three appearances on the New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Team and seven berths on the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. The Dean’s List student was a key member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee over his career, including his senior year when he served as the SAAC Co-Chair.
 
Academics: New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Honorable Mention for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 scholastic years… New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Second Team for the 2019-20 scholastic year…Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the 2016 Fall, 2017 Spring, 2017 Fall, 2018 Fall, 2019 Spring 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters…Dean’s List…Has served as a member of the Rutgers-Camden Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a SAAC Co-Chair for the 2019-20 scholastic year.
 
Soccer 2019: Appeared in 19 games, starting 13…Collected one goal and tied for the team lead with four assists…Tied for fifth on the team with six points…Took 15 shots, two on goal…Served as a team co-captain…Collected an assist on the game-winning goal by Skyler Diggs in a 2-0 victory over the College of Staten Island (Sept 7)…Also assisted on game-winning goals by Diggs in 2-0 victories over Montclair State (Sept. 21) and New Jersey City University (Oct. 5)…Took his season high of four shots (one on goal) in the NJCU game…Scored his lone goal of the season during a 5-3 win over Cabrini (Sept. 11)…Assisted on the Raptors’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss at Ramapo (Oct. 19)…Played his season high of 83 minutes during a 1-0 win over Stockton (Oct. 30).
 
Soccer 2018: New Jersey Athletic Conference Honorable Mention…Started all 21 of his games…Notched a team-high eight assists, tied for the 11th-highest single-season total in program history…Took 23 shots…Collected single assists in a 3-1 win over Staten Island (Sept. 8), a 4-0 victory at Immaculata (Sept. 20) and a 2-0 conference triumph over New Jersey City (Sept. 29)…Had two assists as the Scarlet Raptors posted a 3-1 NJAC win against The College of New Jersey (Oct. 2)…Added assists in a 2-1 win over Lancaster Bible (Oct. 10) and a 2-1 overtime loss at Rowan (Oct. 17)…Assisted on the Raptors’ lone goal in a 2-1 NJAC playoff loss against William Paterson (Oct. 27).
 
Soccer 2017: Played in 18 games, starting five…Took eight shots, four on goal…Notched his first two collegiate points with a pair of assists…Made his 2017 debut playing 19 minutes in a 2-0 loss against Lycoming College during the Raptors’ season opener Sept. 1…Started and played 45 minutes the next day as Rutgers-Camden posted a 6-2 win over Keystone College (Sept. 2)…Also earned early-season starts against Misericordia University (a 3-1 win Sept. 19) and Penn State-Abington (a 2-1 win, Oct. 1)…Played his season high of 53 minutes in the Abington game…Started and assisted on the first two goals of the game, including the eventual game winner by Vincenzo Masitti at 19:16, as the Scarlet Raptors posted a 7-1 win at Lancaster Bible College (Oct. 19)…The assists marked his first two collegiate points and he also added three shots – all on goal – in that game…Made his final start in the first round of the ECAC Div. III Men’s Soccer Championship as Rutgers-Camden beat Maritime, 2-1, on Nov. 11, beginning its march to the tournament title game.
 
Soccer 2016: Played in 10 games, starting two…Took four shots, one on goal for a .250 percentage…Made his season debut against No. 5/12 nationally-ranked Haverford College (Oct. 5) and played 24 minutes, taking one shot, to help the Raptors stun the Fords, 1-0…Made his first start and played his season high of 59 minutes in a 0-0 tie against Swarthmore College (Oct. 19)…Also started in a 2-1 loss at Stockton University (Oct. 26)…Took one shot on goal in a 2-1 loss at New Rochelle (Nov. 5).
 
High School: Earned four varsity golf letters and three varsity soccer letters at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen…Captured Second Team All-State, First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Division as a senior soccer star…National Honor Society…Principal’s List all four years of high school…Graduated in 2016.
 
Club Team: NJ United
 
Personal: Born February 23, 1998…Enjoys playing soccer and golf…Dual Finance and Marketing major at Rutgers-Camden…Plans to pursue his Master’s in Business and eventually get a job in the financial industry…Chris is the son of Jill and Ken Taraska of Woodbridge.