NEWARK, N.J. (Sept. 21, 2013) – Just when it seemed like the amazing run of the Rutgers-Camden men’s soccer team was about to end, the Scarlet Raptors pulled an extra helping of magic out of their bag.

Rutgers-Camden scored two goals in the final 14:25 of regulation to tie the game and then stunned Rutgers-Newark with a goal by sophomore forward Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) only 47 seconds into the first overtime to capture a wild 4-3 victory here Saturday night. The game was the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Scarlet Raptors, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the NSCAA poll and No. 7 in the D3soccer.com Top 25 rankings, overcame a 3-1 deficit to raise their record to 9-0 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC. They extended their program records with a 9-0 start, a nine-game winning streak and a 21-game unbeaten streak (18-0-3) over two seasons.

Rutgers-Camden, which hasn’t lost since a 4-3 overtime defeat at Montclair State University on Sept. 29, 2012, has gone 6-0-1 against NJAC teams since that game, including a pair of wins in last season’s conference playoffs.

Rutgers-Newark, which received 15 votes toward the latest D3soccer.com poll, falls to 8-2 overall and 0-1 in the NJAC, snapping an eight-game winning streak.

The Scarlet Raptors jumped on the board first, in record-setting fashion. Senior midfielder Mitch Grotti (Milmay, NJ/Millville) headed in a cross from Ryan at 8:54. It was the program-record 44th career goal for Grotti, breaking a tie with George Scafidi (1974-77). The two points also gave Grotti 108 for his illustrious career, two shy of the program career mark held by Mike Zeno (1992-95).

Newark tied the game a few minutes later on a header by junior forward Raphael Araujo (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield), assisted by freshman midfielder Anthony DeRisi (Allentown, NJ/Allentown).

Araujo struck again at 17:31 with a 30-yard bullet for his 15th goal of the season, and added another tally at 22:35 when senior forward Daniel Naranjo (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) finished off his sixth goal of the season. He scored after the ball deflected off a pair of Raptors in the box.

The Scarlet Raptors sliced the gap to 3-2 with 14:25 remaining in the game on a 25-yard shot to the right side of the net by junior defender Joe Auleta (Atco, NJ/Hammonton).

It didn’t take long for the Raptors to notch the tying goal. Less than five minutes later, sophomore midfielder Connor Hurff (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) took a corner kick, resulting in a loose ball in the box that ended up on the foot of senior midfielder Keegan Balle (Naperville, NJ/Neuqua Valley). Balle finished the play with his second goal of the year.

The Raptors’ quick strike in overtime started after senior midfielder Stevan Austino (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional) carried the ball down the right side and sent a cross to the middle, where the ball bounced off a Scarlet Raider defender. Ryan was on the receiving end of the rebound to drill home his ninth goal of the season and his fourth game-winning tally.

The Scarlet Raptors held a 20-13 edge in shots and a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks. Senior Mike Randall (Cherry Hill, Cherry Hill East) made nine saves in the Raptor goal, while sophomore Matt Broomall (Somers Point, NJ/Mainland) had six saves for the Scarlet Raiders, who were also helped by a key backsave.

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Wednesday night when it hosts Rowan University in a 7 p.m. NJAC game.

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