A.J. O’Malley had a tremendous sophomore season at Rutgers-Camden in 2006. He developed into a key cog on the Scarlet Raptors, splitting duties between the back and the midfield, while serving as one of the team’s tri-captains. Rutgers-Camden also used O’Malley’s talents up top on occasions, making him the most versatile player on the team.

        O’Malley, who will serve as one of the Raptors’ four captains this fall, also had an impressive sophomore year in the classroom. He earned a berth on the second annual Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men’s Soccer Team and added New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Second Team honors.

        O’Malley’s desire, work ethic and leadership abilities were recognized at the annual Rutgers-Camden Athletic Banquet, when he captured the Borda-Sheehan Memorial Award as the soccer team’s Most Dedicated Player.

        O’Malley played in 23 games for the 2006 Raptors, tying for the team lead in games played. He started eight games and also served as one of the Raptors’ mainstays off the bench. In addition to his tenacious defense, which contributed to 10 shutouts, O’Malley‘s speed and hustle played a major role in the Raptors’ attack. He tallied the first two assists of his Rutgers-Camden career.

        O’Malley’s first assist came in a 3-1 victory over Kean University Sept. 23, feeding Andrew Dorsey for his second goal of an eventual hat trick. That goal proved to be the game-winning tally.

        O’Malley also assisted on Dorsey’s game-winning goal against Lincoln University in a 2-0 Raptor win Oct. 7.

        After playing in 11 games as a freshman forward in 2005, O’Malley made the transition to defense and the midfield last year. He had his first collegiate experience as an outside back during the spring 2006 season, when he helped Rutgers-Camden capture the championship of the 2006 Elizabethtown/Lebanon Valley College Second Annual JAKO Spring Play Day Tournament. The Raptors went 4-0-1 while allowing only two goals in bracket play. They shut out Moravian, 2-0, to win the championship match.

        O’Malley was a First Team Colonial Conference Patriot Division soccer star as a junior and a senior at Haddon Township High School, where he earned three varsity letters under Head Coach Mike Green. He was the Hawks’ leading goal scorer as a junior and earned Offensive MVP honors during his senior season in 2004.

        Academically, O’Malley earned High Honors during his senior year at Haddon Township. He continued his academic success as a Rutgers-Camden freshman, where he was a Dean’s List student as a Business major.

        O’Malley also has played an active role on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Rutgers-Camden.

        The brother of former Lady Raptors softball pitching great Sarah O’Malley, A.J. is the son of Steve and Wendy O’Malley of Westmont.