The men's soccer team was seeing double this week as it played two separate Rutgers University teams for one victory and one tie.
The Lions edged out the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University-Newark 3-2 on Saturday as sophomore defender/midfielder Anthony Staropoli used his head for a late goal that gave his team the victory. This was Staropoli's first goal of the year and it was assisted by sophomore forward Kevin Luber.
Just 45 seconds into the game, senior midfielder Craig Langan notched his fifth goal of the season as he scored on a cross pass from senior forward Nima Rahimi.
Then sophomore midfielder Matt Erny, who was ejected earlier after attaining two yellow cards on the day, added a score of his own at 1:34. His tally was assisted by fellow midfielder senior Joey McGinley.
"Getting the goal was great," Erny said. "It is exciting to score from my defensive position and it was a great ball over the top by (McGinley). All I had to do was slide it by the keeper."
Lions' senior goalkeeper Steve Scutellaro came up big as he made three saves in the contest.
With the win, the Lions improved to 7-1-3 on the year and 3-0-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
"The win was big as it keeps us in the race for first place in the NJAC," Erny said. "Going on the road and coming away with three points is always a good way to gain confidence."
"You have to consider this a pretty good start," Rahimi added. "That is all it is though, a start, as there is still a lot of the season left to be played. Hopefully we only get better from here."
Rutgers-Newark came in looking for the upset, as it has yet to win in the NJAC. The Lions ended the game in a 1-1 tie against the Scarlet Raptors at the College's soccer complex on Wednesday. This marked the College's third tie of the season.
The Lions' lone score came when McGinley netted his first goal of the year on a crisp pass from Rahimi. This was the only goal of the first half, and after the Raptors added a goal of their own, the game headed into overtime.
Each team had chances in the extra period, but both goalkeepers played shut-down ball to keep the game a tie. Scutellaro made eight saves overall to hold the Scarlet Raptors to one score on the day.
The College will host Drew University today at 3 p.m. before taking on Messiah College at home on Saturday at 3 p.m.
