Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics.
The Ramapo College men’s soccer team traveled to Camden on Oct. 9 to take on Rutgers-Camden. The game was tight to the end, but Ramapo ended up taking a heartbreaking defeat 2-1 in overtime. This loss pushed the Roadrunners to 6-5-1 overall. It was also a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) match, and Ramapo’s record in those games is now 1-3-1.
It was not a great first half for Ramapo, as Ian Bialy scored for Rutgers-Camden on a pass from Christian McCartney in the 29th minute to give the Scarlet Raptors a 1-0 lead.
As a whole in the first half, Ramapo was outshot 11-2 and the Roadrunners went into the second half in a one goal deficit. Rutgers-Camden also recorded all six corner kicks in the half, further showing how one-sided the half was.
However, the second half went more as planned for Ramapo. In the 62nd minute, sophomore defender Osbin Mendez scored his first goal of the season and tied the game up at one. This was a huge goal for the team, as it was one that brought them back into it, giving them a sense of hope. It was clearly a boost for the Roadrunners, as they outshot the Scarlet Raptors 10-2 in the half.
This 1-1 tie would hold up for the rest of the second half, and the game went into overtime. In the 94th minute, Rutgers-Camden’s Skyler Diggs netted the game-winner, kicking one just past Ramapo goalie Joshua Schaffer and giving the Scarlet Raptors a 2-1 NJAC victory. It was a devastating goal for Ramapo, who seemed to have all the momentum going into the overtime period.
Overall, Rutgers-Camden led the game in shots 14-12. They also led in shots on goal, which were 8-6 in favor of the Scarlet Raptors. Schaffer ended up making six saves of the eight shots that came his way.
Ramapo’s next game will be on Saturday, Oct. 16 for the Senior Day game. The team will be hosting Wheaton College at the Athletic Center Turf in Mahwah, N.J., at 3:30 p.m. The game will not be an NJAC match.
bschmid@ramapo.edu
