Rutgers-Camden season ends in double-overtime loss
SUNY-Oneonta junior forward Alex Shkreli (Bedford, NY/Fox Lane) scored off the rebound of a header off the post with 3:19 remaining in the second overtime to lift the 21st-ranked Red Dragons over the ninth-ranked Scarlet Raptors, 2-1, in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Elite Eight contest.
Oneonta, 18-2-2 and winners of 14 straight games, advances to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 2-3. The Red Dragons will face Calvin College in one semifinal. In the other semifinal, Ohio Wesleyan will battle one of the Scarlet Raptors' foes from the New Jersey Athletic Conference, Montclair State University.
Shkreli's goal came off of an indirect kick after a foul was called about 25 yards out. Senior Nick Lange (Freeville/Dryden) serviced the ball into the box that was headed toward the goal by classmate Raymond Fitzpatrick (Garden City/Garden City). The shot deflected off the left post and headed toward the center of the box where Shkreli was waiting to put the ball in the open goal.
That goal put a sudden end to the Raptors' brilliant season, which included a program-record 19-3-2 mark and their first New Jersey Athletic Conference men's soccer title ever. It also snapped the Raptors' unbeaten streak at 17 games (15-0-2), which tied the program single-season record set by the 2004 squad, which opened the year at 13-0-4.
The two-year unbeaten mark is 19, with wins in the final two games of 2003 added to the 2004 season-opening run.
Rutgers-Camden, which was ranked ninth in the final regular-season NSCAA Top 25 poll and No. 11 in the d3soccer.com poll, finished its season with a spectacular 11-2 record against teams either ranked, or receiving votes, toward those national polls.
Both teams had eight shots in the scoreless opening half and Raptor senior goalie Tim VanLiew (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) collected five saves to none for Oneonta keeper Maxwell Siegelman (Roslyn, NY/Roslyn), but it was the Raptors who had the two best scoring opportunities.
In the 18th minute, sophomore back Taylor McGrory (Laurel Springs, NJ/Sterling) had the ball inside the box to the left of the goal and sent a ball across the front Siegelman that hit the right post and deflected out. On the follow, sophomore forward Mitch Grotti (Milmay, NJ/Millville) took a shot that sailed over the goal.
Seven minutes later, Rutgers-Camden sophomore Zaiere Putmon (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) rifled a shot that hit the left post and, on the ensuing action, Grotti sent a pass into the box that was headed over the goal.
With the game locked in a scoreless tie, the Raptors finally broke through in the 53rd minute. Grotti was able to handle a loose ball where he was able to turn and free himself to fire a shot that went over the Oneonta keeper's head into the back of the goal.
Grotti's goal was his 19th of the season, setting a new program record. He had been tied at 18 with George Scafidi (1975) and Ed Hartley (1981). The goal also allowed him to finish his spectacular sophomore season with 45 points, three more than the old single-season mark of 42 held by Hartley from 1981. He broke Hartley's points mark by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 Sweet 16 win over Babson Saturday.
Oneonta nearly tied the score in the 66th minute off of a direct kick. Junior Dan Josepher (Manorville, NY/Eastport South Manor) sent a ball along the ground that was not handled by the Rutgers keeper cleanly. On the loose ball, Fitzpatrick hit the loose ball just wide of the left post.
Fitzpatrick would make the most of his next opportunity in the 77th minute on a loose ball that the Rutgers defense couldn't clear. On a counterattack, junior Eric Fortier (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) broke free in the box to the left of the goal and sent a ball across that was knocked around in front of the net. Fitzpatrick followed the play in and blasted the loose ball just inside the right post for the tying goal.
VanLiew finished with 11 saves, while Siegelman had four.
The game capped a sterling career by VanLiew, who played more games than any player in program history. He finished his career with 89 games played – starting every Rutgers-Camden game over his four years – and played more minutes (8061:56) than any goalie in program history. He set program records for most wins (56), shots faces (1,196) and shutouts (31), while finishing second in saves (491) and goals-against average (1.05).
VanLiew finished his season with a 0.70 goals-against average, breaking the old mark of 0.71 by David Cunningham in 2006. He also played 2200:43 minutes in goal this season to break Skene's mark of 2070 from 1981, and tied Skene's single-season mark of 11 shutouts.
VanLiew's 19 wins were three more than his previous mark set in 2008 and he also finished third among single-season leaders with 332 shots faced. He already held the record for consecutive shutout minutes (565:25, set in 2008) and was tied for the mark with five consecutive shutouts, also from 2008.
VanLiew was one of eight Scarlet Raptors who played in all 24 games, tying the single-season mark of 24 games played, set in 1981. Also playing in 24 games were senior co-captain Chris Edelschein (Medford Lakes, NJ/Shawnee), junior backs Kevin Burke (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional) and Brian Hill (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson), junior midfielder Casey Doyle (West Orange, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), sophomore back Bobby Foster (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township), freshman midfielder Joe Auleta (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) and freshman forward Corey Beltran (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown).
Five players – Burke, Edelschein, Foster, Hill and VanLiew – started all 24 games.
