Photo by Danielle Saxenian
The men’s soccer team was on the losing side of things again on Saturday, as they lost an NJAC bout to the Rowan University Profs by the score of 3-0.
The Roadrunners have lost their last two games, both to NJAC opponents in Rowan and Rutgers-Newark. With the team not scoring a goal in those two matches, coach DJ Pinton knows exactly what is going wrong.
“Early on we just didn’t finish our chances,” said Pinton on the Rowan match. “It’s been a theme for us all season. The chances are there. We just aren’t getting any results.”
Rowan capitalized on their chances, however. After a handball in the box, they scored on a penalty kick to take a 1-0 lead. From there, the Profs didn’t let up scoring two more goals in the second half.
The NJAC is no easy conference, as teams like Montclair State, Kean and Rutgers-Newark stand on top of the conference standings as of now. The Roadrunners are 0-3-1 in conference matches, but it isn’t because they are inferior to the other squads.
“After scouting, we are on par with all these other teams,” said Pinton. “Our individual efforts on the ball just need to be a little better.”
The Roadrunners have been short-handed these past few games, leaving players that don’t get much time on the pitch to pick up the slack. They have been without key players, like forward Trevor Albrecht, midfielder Jorge Castro and forward Justin Olaya.
“We’ve been missing these key contributors on our team and it has been hurting us,” said Pinton. “We just need these guys taking their place to step up.”
With only a few NJAC games left, Pinton and his team hope to make good on their many chances around the net. They will need to do so if they wish to qualify for the NJAC championships.
“Going forward, we just need to get more healthy and take good care of our opportunities,” said Pinton.
The Roadrunners will look to break their scoreless streak and earn their first NJAC win of the 2015 season this Saturday when they travel to Rutgers-Camden to take on the Scarlet Raptors at 1 p.m.
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