Rutgers-Camden edges NJCU
to clinch NJAC playoff bye

JERSEY CITY, NJ (Oct. 25, 2006) – With a first-round bye for the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s soccer championships on the line, the regular-season conference finale between Rutgers University-Camden and New Jersey City University had all the electricity of a playoff game here Wednesday afternoon.

The Scarlet Raptors grabbed a three-goal lead and weathered a furious Gothic Knight comeback as Rutgers-Camden hung on for a 3-2 road victory over NJCU, which was ranked No. 22 nationally in the d3kicks.com Top 25 released Tuesday.

With the victory, the Scarlet Raptors leapfrogged over the Gothic Knights and clinched second place in the NJAC regular season for the second consecutive year. Rutgers-Camden, 10-4-5 overall and 5-2-2 in the NJAC, draws a first-round bye when the conference tournament starts Saturday. The Raptors will host a semifinal game Tuesday against the winner of Saturday’s Rowan at NJCU 1 p.m. game.

NJCU, which will be the third seed in the NJAC playoffs, enters the tournament with a 14-4-1 record overall. The Gothic Knights went 5-3-1 in the NJAC and saw their 13-game home field winning streak snapped by the Raptors. NJCU, which opened the season at 13-1-1, lost for the third time in four games. It marked the first time the Knights have lost consecutive games since Oct. 20 and 23, 2004, a span of 50 games.

The Knights out-shot the Raptors, 13-7, in the opening half, but Rutgers-Camden struck for a pair of goals only 1:28 apart. Both were assisted by junior midfielder Pat Baldiserra (Milmay, NJ/Buena Regional).

Baldiserra sent a cross into the box from the right wing. It landed at the feet of senior forward Evan Graves (Somerdale, NJ/Triton Regional), who buried a two-yard shot at 35:13. It was his fifth goal of the season.

Moments later, a defender slipped and Baldiserra played a through ball, which led to the third goal of the season by junior midfielder Rob Gambino (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) at 36:41. Gambino beat NJCU junior goalie Bruce Neves (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) in a one-on-one.

Gambino’s cross early in the second half produced the eventual game-winning goal. He sent a cross from the right wing into the box, where junior midfielder Rodney Guishard (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) one-timed a shot into the goal at 53:05. It was the fifth goal of the season and the third game-winning goal for Guishard.

That goal came on the Raptors’ lone second-half shot. It proved to be the decisive tally as NJCU stormed back with a goal by sophomore forward Jamel Carson (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) at 58:34. He scored off a leaping header inside the left post. It was assisted by sophomore midfielder Cristhian Acuna (East Newark, NJ/Harrison), who notched his own goal at 66:17 on a penalty kick after the Raptors were called for a handball in the box.

NJCU out-shot the Raptors, 24-8, including 11-1 in the second half, but Rutgers-Camden senior keeper David Cunningham (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) made nine saves for the win. Neves made two saves for NJCU.