Lions build momentum
It was only a matter of time until The College of New Jersey men’s soccer team started putting it all together.
Heading to the Brick City Classic last weekend the Lions needed to snap a three-game losing streak, and they did it in style by winning the event.
TCNJ (2-3) downed New York University, 4-1, and then took down Penn State Abington, 3-2 in the title game.
“I felt that the offense was able to connect and create good quality chances,’’ said TCNJ coach George Nazario. “The guys did a good job of finishing opportunities. Usually when you score three or four goals in a game you have a decent chance of securing three points.’’
Freshman Chris Meder, who played at Cherokee, was the tournament Most Valuable Player and earned the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week.
Meder scored three goals on three shots across the two Lions victories over NYU and Penn State-Abington. His two-goal game against NYU on Saturday marks the first multi-score performance by a Lions freshman since teammate Dante Bettino notched a pair back in 2018.
Dan Grund, who played at West Windsor-Plainsboro South, also scored a goal in each game for TCNJ.
After the tough opening game, it’s hoped that the wins will boost the Lions’ confidence.
“We all know that confidence is vitally important in establishing belief within a team,’’ said Nazario. “The results from this past weekend put us in a good position as we move forward with our nonconference schedule.’’
The Lions hit the road this week with Drew on Wednesday and then a trip to Hoboken on Saturday to face Stevens.
Drew (2-1-1) is led by Christian Tyson with three goals and Kevin Kiernan, who has five assists.
Pennington’s Elias Di Bello, and Gabe Di Pierro along with Bordentown’s Pim van Hilten, are members of the Drew team.
Stevens (2-1-1), which has won two straight, has been led by Bruno Andino with two goals and Luca Campbell has two assists.
But, Nazario knows there are no easy one in the non-conference schedule or the NJAC schedule.
“In all fairness I do not believe there is any easy game on this year’s schedule,’’ said Nazario. “We have to be playing at a decent level every match or things will be very difficult as it pertains to getting results.’’
The veteran TCNJ coach realizes the success of this past week can continue to pay benefits.
“We have given ourselves the chance to be in a good position if we are able to continue to obtain positive results with the remainder of our non-conference schedule,’’ said Nazario. “It hopefully will give us the preparation that is needed to compete at a high level in our conference matches.’’
The Brick City Classic came at the right time for The College of New Jersey.