No. 13 ranked Rowan men’s soccer secured their fifth straight win on Saturday, Oct. 26, shutting out Ramapo College 1-0 on Senior Day.

Jason Barragan sank the go-ahead goal at 18:40, and Dylan Aportela’s four saves held the Roadrunners in check, marking not just the Profs’ fifth straight victory, but their fifth straight shutout as well.

“Electric right now, electric!” Aportela said. “On Senior Day too. It was a great day, and the boys did excellent today. So happy and proud of everybody.”

On a day that recognized the senior leaders of the team, they all looked back on their time in the program during the pregame ceremony, reminiscing on a championship season two years ago, and the bonds they have formed with the players and staff.

“I think it’s just the development,” Aportela said. “I remember freshman year, coming in here, I was new to everything. I had to learn the way; the young boys had to learn the way. Now I’m the one leading the way, so it’s been a whole change, and I really love the experience of everything.”

You can’t talk about the seniors on this squad without mentioning their captain, Turlough Gartlan. Gartlan, standing six feet, five inches tall, stands out on the field as a physical presence that can easily get in opponents’ heads. His leadership and importance as a teammate, however, is not something you will see in the stat sheet, but by watching him lift his team up on and off the field.

“It’s a couple things,” Gartlan said. “The first is [Scott] Baker. He’s one of the greatest people, and he’s probably the best coach I’ve ever played under. He’s always got your back, and he always gives you the confidence. It’s also hard work and the love I have for the team. Every guy on the team pushes each other. It pushes me to be a better person and better leader.”

The bond between Baker and his team, specifically the seniors, is a bond players everywhere wish to have with their coaches. The friendship and comradery they share is something that can make a great team legendary.

“Just all of that,” Baker said. “They’re great people first, and they are great leaders. They’ve been part of a championship season earlier on in their careers as sophomores, and they’ve shown they learned a lot from that season and what it takes to go back to that level.”

On a day when the Profs didn’t have their best performance offensively, they found a way to stay locked in on both ends of the field. They fought their way to a win, staying undefeated in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play.

“The main takeaway is that we have to do better,” Baker said. “We have to play better as a team. We did play good in the first half, and we got a little bit away from our game in the second half. We didn’t have the possession we needed. We made some not-so-great decisions, and that has to get better. I will take the win, and I’ll take our guys’ efforts for finding a way to win when they’re not playing good. We got another shutout, so we’re proud of that.”

When you know you have a team with sights set on being a national contender, these are the takeaways that build that mindset. The win is great, but there is more work to be done to get where they want to go.

There is only one thing Baker had to say about the legacy he wants these seniors to leave behind.

“National championship,” Baker said.

With one more regular season game on the road against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), the Profs are looking to finish the season with a strong performance to set up that electric run throughout the playoffs that Baker is striving to witness.

“I’m super excited,” Gartlan said. “I’ve never lost to TCNJ, and we’re going to keep that streak going. To keep it short and simple, I’m excited and we’re going to win it.”

“We have one more game,” Aportela said. “We just have to finish out strong and do what we have to do. We’ll keep rolling and if we move like this, and I see no problems in the future.”

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