CUA falls to Rutgers-Camden 1-0 in overtime

CAMDEN, N.J. – The CUA men’s soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in overtime at Rutgers-Camden on Monday evening.  Mitch Grotti scored the game-winner for the Scarlet Raptors with 4:49 remaining in the extra session in a match where both teams had their chances in the second half.

CUA was credited with ten shots on the evening, while Rutgers-Camden totaled 17.  The Cardinals were awarded two corner kicks in each half and the home team totaled nine for the game.  Quinn Daly stopped five shots in goal for CUA and the teams were whistled for a combined 16 fouls.

Only 40 seconds into the match Rutgers-Camden was awarded a corner kick.  Soon after, Shane McGrory unleashed a shot for the Scarlet Raptors, but it sailed high.  One minute later Mike DiMarco took the Cardinals’ first shot of the night, but his attempt also went high.

Daly made the lone save of the opening 45 minutes at the 15:03 mark, but neither team seriously threatened for the remainder of the half, sending the match into halftime knotted at zero.

As the second half moved along, the offensive chances picked up for each team.  During one ten-minute segment, the Scarlet Raptors unleashed four shots, but CUA’s defense stood tall and the game remained scoreless.

At the 66:11 mark Rutgers-Camden’s C.J. Finley misfired on a chance from the box and less than four minutes later, Brian Maher’s shot went wide as the Cardinals continued to search for the first goal. 

CUA controlled play down the stretch as it took four shots in the final seven minutes, but Kevin Duffy and Adrian Davis’ attempts were blocked within six seconds of one another and Maher’s blast hit the post with under three minutes on the clock. 

With 41 seconds to play CUA was awarded a corner kick and Tim Brady eventually wiggled free for a header, but his attempt was wide and the teams headed for overtime.

Rutgers-Camden took all three shots in the extra session, including the game-winner from Grotti, which came at the 4:49 mark.  Todd Kleinstuber fed Chris Edelschein near the top of the box and Edelschein found Grotti, who slid the ball just inside the post for the clincher.

CUA will return to action on Saturday when the Cardinals open defense of their Landmark Conference championship with a showdown at home versus Susquehanna University.  The match is slated to begin at 12:30.