GLASSBORO, NJ –
Kevin Primich scored the gamewinner in the second overtime to lift fourth-seeded Rowan to a 2-1 victory over fifth-seeded Kean in the first round of the NJAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament at Rowan Soccer Stadium. The Profs (10-4-3) advance to the semifinals at top-seeded Ramapo on Wednesday, November 6 at 1:30 p.m.
Primich took his shot from beyond the box on the right side, and although Kean goalkeeper Dillon Konzelmann got a hand on it, it skidded into the left corner of the net at 101:54. It was the senior captain's first goal of the season.
"I said I was going to score this game. I don't know why, I just had a feeling. I hadn't scored all season so what better time to score than in the playoffs. I was really just taking my chances, running up the field and getting one in, luckily," said Primich.
Kean (9-7-3) took the first lead of the match at 17:06 when Felipe Lucas stole the ball from a Profs' defender in the Rowan end and dribbled in alone on the right side, scoring into the upper left side of the net.
Rowan's
Matt Hendrickson tallied the tying goal at 52:14 on a penalty kick, awarded to the Profs for a foul in the box, for his seventh goal of the year.
But for the final 32 minutes of play, the sides were uneven, beginning when Kean's Calvin Carbajal was issued a red card at 67:32. They evened up again at :34 when Rowan's
Ryan Logar received the same, but Kean got a man advantage when
Jake Logar was issued a red card at 83:52.
Rowan had the edge in shots, 19-11, with goalkeeper
James Weinberg making four saves and Konzelmann making nine stops.
"Our wins haven't come easy all year and I didn't think the postseason would be any different. But we were solid at home being undefeated so now we've got to prove we can win on the road and bring home the NJAC," said head coach
Scott Baker.
The Rowan-Ramapo winner will meet the winner of the (#6) Stockton at (#2) Montclair State semifinal in the NJAC final on Saturday, November 9, at the campus site of the highest remaining seed.
