By Jordan Washington
Correspondent
In an emotional final game of the season, the Lions took down New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Rowan University 1-0 in Lion’s Stadium on Oct. 24.
Many fans were in the stands to support both teams — a total of 277 loyal soccer fans braved the poor weather to watch the rivals go head-to-head.
Both teams did not disappoint as they worked hard for 90 minutes, giving all they had from the beginning of the game.
On an eventful senior night, senior midfielders Joerg Jauk and Nick Sample were honored as they took charge in their last game as Lions.
Jauk put the team on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute on a penalty kick. Sample was fouled in the box, leading to a goal. Jauk recorded himself a perfect record of 5-5 for penalty kicks in his career.
Though the start of the first half the game went back and forth, Jauk’s goal proved to be enough to put the Lions ahead. Rowan sent out seven first half shots, but they could not find the back of the net.
In the second half, Rowan attempted to find the equalizer by ripping off 10 shots, but the Lions’ staunch defense held true as they held onto the win.
Despite the win, the College was outshot 17-8, and sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Mecadon had a busy night with seven saves. The Lions only had one shot on goal — the goal that won them the game.
After breaking their two-game losing streak, the Lions ended their season with an overall record of 10-6-2. The Lions had a promising start to the season with an astonishing 7-0; however, they went on a four game losing-streak in the middle of the season that hurt their chances of moving on to postseason play.
It was a hard fought knock-down NJAC game, as Rowan built up a total of 15 fouls. With five offside infractions, Rowan may have missed out on many chances to score and take the win.
