The stakes are high for the The College of New Jersey’s men’s soccer team as it prepares to battle the Kean Cougars on October 22nd at 11:00 am. The Lions are currently 1-3-1 against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponents and they need that record to improve in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
They have the opportunity for a potentially season-shifting conference win on Saturday against fellow NJAC member Kean.
“A win [in Saturday’s game] keeps us alive in the hunt for an NJAC playoff spot” said Lions head coach George Nazario. “A loss and I think we’re pretty much done, it’s do or die right now in terms of the NJAC playoffs, that’s how were treating it.”
Kean is currently four spots ahead of TCNJ in the NJAC, but the margins are thin (only three conference points) and a win for TCNJ could result in the Lions and Cougars switching spots.
Interestingly, this being a home game might not actually be an advantage for the Lions, as they are currently 2-4-1 at home and 3-2-2 on the road. It is unknown if there is any real correlation between game location and the Lions’ performance but the current seems to deviate from the idea of “home-field advantage” that is pervasive in both college and professional sports.
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