Will Sjaastad’s overtime goal gives Rowan 2-1 win over Muhlenberg College

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Rowan senior back Will Sjaastad fights for possession against William Paterson on September 15. Multimedia Editor/Miguel Martinez

The Rowan men’s soccer team ended their two-game losing streak over the weekend with a 4-0 win over New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponent Kean University. The win improves Rowan’s record to 7-4 overall and 2-2 in the NJAC.

It was Rowan’s highest margin of victory so far this season. Senior forward Shane Doherty got back on the scoresheet after missing a few games earlier in the season.

“He’s our engine,” Head Coach Scott Baker said.”He brings a ton of energy to the game. He changes our attack. His connection with Ryan Campbell is unstoppable. When they are healthy and playing together it’s good news for us.”

The connection didn’t disappoint, as Doherty’s goal at the 64-minute marker came from the foot of Campbell, who notched his first assist of the season.

Juniors Collin Cardona and Ryan Logar also scored while redshirt freshman Aaron Robertson put one into the back of the net and assisted on Logar’s goal, both the first of his career.

“To get the first goal and put my team in the lead was a great feeling,” Robertson said. “It gave us confidence very early in the game. We were struggling a little bit going into the game, so it was a big win for us.”

The four goals were the most the Profs have scored in a game this season and the health status of the team is a big reason for it. 

“We’re healthier,” Baker said. “We had two great sessions leading up to the game in which we looked great.”

With the win, Rowan picked up their fourth win out of five at home. They host Muhlenberg on Wednesday looking to make it four home wins in a row.

“The home field advantage has been great for us,” Baker said. “But we’ve played some really tough road games so far this season. I think the record is different more so because some of the games we’ve had away from home.”

Muhlenberg is 3-3-2 overall and have yet to win a game in their conference. They haven’t won a game in almost a month and have failed to score in their previous four games.

“We’re excited for the Muhlenberg game,” Baker said. “We have more players available now, so I think we can bring a lot more energy. We aren’t 100% healthy yet but we are much closer. That was the biggest difference for us in the Kean game and I think it will prove to be again vs Muhlenberg.”

It came down to overtime Wednesday night and Rowan senior Will Sjaastad came to the rescue.

With just over a minute and a half left in overtime, the co-captain blasted a rebound into the lower left corner to give the Profs the 2-1 win. The brown and gold are now 8-4 on the season and 5-1 at home.

Rowan heads to Jersey City, NJ on Saturday for a NJAC matchup against New Jersey City University at 1:00 p.m.

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