Rowan men’s soccer managed to walk away from a tough weekend against two ranked opponents on the road with a win against Johns Hopkins on Sunday, Sept. 8, and a tie against Franklin and Marshall on Friday, Sept 6.

Johns Hopkins was ranked No. 24 nationally and Franklin and Marshall was ranked No. 17 before the weekend.  A win and a tie were very impressive for the Profs, who now sit at 2-1-1 on the season.

“The weekend as a whole was a success,”  Head coach Scott Baker said. “We’re playing really good teams, and you can play really good and lose. We were fortunate to get that. I think that Hopkins may have had the better play as well, but we found a way to score and at the end of the day got the win. I was happy with our effort at Franklin and Marshall. It’s the standard, if we come out like that we’re going to be really good.”

The game against Franklin and Marshall could not have started better, with Rowan leading 2-0 at the end of the first half. Even though the Diplomats were able to tie the game, a tie against a ranked opponent that is as good as they are was a plus for the Profs. 

“The way that we got the two goals was the same way that we let up the two goals,” Baker said. “It wasn’t really like to protect it.  They were kind of all over us, so we were fighting that off in the first half and broke through twice and were able to score. We weren’t pressing them, and we didn’t have the momentum of the game. It looks like we played good in the first half and bad the second half but that actually wasn’t the case. It was more that we were fortunate to get those goals, they’re a really good team.  Playing at their home field, we were happy to walk away with a tie.”

Goalkeeper Dylan Aportela was stellar in the tie, saving a season-high eight shots to help keep the game knotted at two.

“It’s just coming out and doing what you have to do,” Aportela said. “In that game, it’s always the big games. This whole September is big games, everyone is top 25 in the country, so you just have to go out there and fight for your life honestly. Coming into that game, I had T also tell me that you need to come out big and be confident and get everything you can, and that’s exactly what I had in my mind.”

Freshman Joey Kurak scored the first goal against Johns Hopkins, providing a 1-0 lead that the Profs would never lose. Kurak’s goal was the first of his college career, providing a spark that Rowan needed to bring home a ranked win. 

“It was definitely a great moment,” Kurak said. “Not just doing it for me, but for the team and getting them up 1-0 for the lead.  Then we just picked it up from there so yeah, it was a great feeling.”

Not only will that goal be a moment he never forgets, but it’ll help solidify himself as an important piece of the future for this Rowan squad. Kurak joined Johnny Troiano, who was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Week, with a NJAC Rookie of the Week selection.

“Johnny is playing like an All-American and he’s going to be really tough to stop,” Baker said. “We played really good teams and he’s just a goal scorer. He’s really good, he trained hard, and worked hard, so now other teams have to deal with him. Joey came in at the right moment and found the right time to score. Just to get in on the field on this kind of team as a freshman is difficult. To get in as a freshman against a ranked opponent on the road and then score a goal, he’s very deserving and we’re happy to see him get the recognition for that.”

With No. 2 ranked Cortland up next on the road, Rowan will have arguably their toughest test of the year so far. With the confidence the team has now following an exceptional weekend, the Profs look to cap off the road stretch with intensity.

“Playing the type of teams we are, the result of it we will look back on in hindsight,” Baker said. “The happiest I was in the games we played was our effort against Franklin and Marshall. Obviously, I’ll take the win first, but that effort is what it’s going to take to beat teams like that. Going into a game like Cortland, we just want to keep our standard up high, and we know if we can compete at that level and bring that energy and intensity to the field then we’re going to be very difficult to beat. So, no changes, but we want to keep that standard from the Franklin and Marshall game as far as intensity and energy.”

“We played Cortland the past two years,” Aportela said. “My sophomore year I didn’t really get a chance to play against them. Last year, we played them at home and tied them 1-1, we played a great game with great confidence from the whole team. New guys, new players so all I can say is if we keep how we’re playing and keep the flow we’re going to be completely fine.”

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