Rutgers-Camden rallies for 1-1 tie
in NJAC battle at Ramapo College

MAHWAH (Oct. 22, 2006) – With the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championships quickly approaching, the final regular-season games are becoming a battle for the top teams to jockey for playoff seedings.

Junior forward Ryan Evans (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) helped Rutgers-Camden pick up a big point here Sunday, scoring the tying goal with 3:24 left in regulation as the Scarlet Raptors tied Ramapo College, 1-1, in a double-overtime NJAC battle.

The tie gives the Scarlet Raptors a 9-4-5 record overall and, more importantly, leaves them at 4-2-2 in the NJAC with one game remaining.

With 14 points, the Raptors are two points behind second-place New Jersey City University in the battle for one of the two first-round byes when the NJAC playoffs begin Saturday. Those two teams will decide that race on the field, as Rutgers-Camden travels to NJCU Wednesday for a 3 p.m. contest in the regular-season finale.

Ramapo College, which has been ranked as high as No. 11 nationally in the d3kicks.com Top 25 poll this season, stands at 10-5-1 overall and is 3-4-1 in the conference. The Roadrunners are locked in a three-way tie for the sixth and final playoff spot.

Ramapo is one of eight teams on the Scarlet Raptors’ 2006 schedule which has been ranked in either the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 or the d3kicks.com Top 25 polls at points during this season. The Raptors have gone 2-2-3 against the first seven entering their season-ending game against New Jersey City University, which is currently ranked No. 16 in the d3kicks.com poll and No. 21 in the NSCAA/adidas poll.

Evans scored his third goal of the season on a 12-yard volley, assisted by junior midfielder Pat Baldiserra (Milmay, NJ/Buena Regional). That goal wiped out Ramapo’s 1-0 lead, which came on a goal at 78:55 on a 25-yard shot by senior Jamie Biwald (Stratford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), assisted by freshman David Marin (Clifton, NJ/Clifton).

The two teams battled through a pair of scoreless 10-minute overtime periods before the Raptors earned their second consecutive road tie. Rutgers-Camden is 4-1-2 in its last seven games.

Rutgers Camden out-shot Ramapo, 17-12, including 4-1 in overtime. The Raptors also held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. Raptor senior goalie David Cunningham (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) made five saves and Roadrunner senior goalkeeper Patrick Jagodzinski (Lebanon, NJ/Immaculata) stopped 11.