Lions’ men’s soccer still ‘darkhorse’ in NJAC

EWING – For The College of New Jersey men’s soccer team, it seems like every time the Lions step on the field, it comes down to one goal.

One header flying into the net off a corner kick.

One deflection off a defender that slips past the goalkeeper’s gloves.

One heart-stopping penalty kick off a questionable foul in the penalty box.

One free kick hurling on top of players and curving into the upper corner.

Last season, the Lions competed in eight matches that were settled by one goal. The team’s rigid defense allowed 1.5 goals per game. For the first time since 2013, the Lions qualified for the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. As the sixth and last seed, the Lions reached the semifinals and were defeated by Rowan, 2-1.

That’s the same Rowan University squad that prevented the Lions from reaching the conference playoffs in 2015.

Heading into the 2017 season, the Lions were ranked sixth in the annual NJAC Men’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and seemingly declared the “dark horse” of the conference.

While the team has lost high-caliber starters like defender Clayton Flon and midfielder Nick Costelloe, senior captain forward Michael Kassak has argued otherwise.

“We have a ton of talent this year,” Kassak said. “We only lost four starters last year and our returning players are very experienced. A lot of the returners have been significant contributors since their freshman year and have experience in big games like the NJAC playoffs.”

So far into the season, experienced players such as junior midfielder Nick Sample, senior midfielder Kevin Nelan and senior midfielder Peter Dresch have delivered on the pitch.

Down 1-0 against Bridgewater College in the 55th minute, Sample tied the match off a cross from Kassak. The goal ignited the Lions offense as they defeated Bridgewater College, 2-1.

Nelan scored his first collegiate goal in the Lions 2-1 win against Roanoke College. At the right side of the net, Nelan secured a rebound and tapped in the shot with an assist from freshman midfielder James Pike. Later in the same game, Dresch netted the Lions second goal with the help of Sample’s pass.

In addition to veteran players, one freshman goalkeeper has steadily risen to become a starter.

Freshman goalkeeper Michael Kayal earned the spot against junior goalkeeper Dan Walsh. Kayal’s most notable performance so far has occurred in the Lions 2-1 overtime loss against Stevens Institute of Technology at home on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

With rainy conditions at Lions Stadium, Kayal recorded two crucial saves. However, he wasn’t able to catch a cross that ricocheted off a defender in overtime.

“The weather was not conducive to players,” head coach George Nazario said. “Stevens’ intended cross turned out to be a fluke goal. Other than that, Kayal performed well. I look forward to see how he does against conference opponents.”

During the past weekend from Sept. 9 and 10, the team hit a roadblock in Salem, Virginia at the All Sports Cafe Roanoke Invitational. During the Invitational, the Lions were stung by the Lynchburg College Hornets, 3-1. In the 2016 season, the Hornets reached to the second round of the NCAA national tournament, won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and amassed a 17-2-4 record.

“Lynchburg had a lot of talent and were able to play good soccer,” Kassak said. “They were very athletic and moved the ball well, but we definitely dominated our fair share of the game. We got the early goal but it came down to Lynchburg capitalizing on two of their scoring chances. We had a couple of chances.”

After a 3-0 shutout victory against the winless Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Devils, the Lions are set to play their first conference match against William Paterson University at the TCNJ Soccer Complex on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.

Despite the men’s soccer team having yet to win the NJAC title since 2005, Kassak remains optimistic of winning it this year.

“We plan to leverage that team chemistry again this year along with our returning and incoming talent to take us far in the NJAC and NCAA’s,” Kassak said. “We will surprise a lot of teams this year and we expect to compete for the NJAC championship.”