Rowan women’s soccer’s 46-game unbeaten streak came to an end in the last game of the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 30, losing the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title to the No. 10 ranked The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Lions by a final score of 1-0.

This is the Profs’ first regular season loss since 2021 and their first NJAC regular season loss at home since 2017. The team that defeated the Profs at home that year was also TCNJ in the last game of the season.

The Lions held possession of the ball for most of the first half, as the Profs were unable to get many quality possessions, taking only two shots.

“We got stretched out too much,” head coach Scott Leacott said. “We did not get our backline involved enough in the offense. We held on to the ball when we needed to play it quick, and we played it quick when we needed to hold onto the ball. We were a little out of sync, and they play a physical brand. I think we could have caught a couple of breaks from the crew, but we need to play through that.”

Rowan was able to go into halftime with the game scoreless due to the outstanding play of their goalkeeper Calista Burke. Throughout the first half, Burke made play after play to keep the game even. She consistently thwarted TCNJ’s scoring opportunities, whether it was by rushing out from inside the posts to grab the ball or by tipping it over the crossbar.

“I’m watching the flight of the ball and then timing my jump and knowing when to flick my arm up,” Burke said. “I just made sure to keep my positioning where I wanted to be. It allows me to time it just right.”

The game’s scoreless tie was broken in the second half when TCNJ’s Alyssa Alfano headed the ball to her teammate Ella Van Dine, allowing her to sink it into the bottom right corner of the net.

“We were having trouble playing it short out of the back,” Burke said. “So I decided to hit it long, but we were not able to win it in the air. They got it back, and we were shorthanded in the back. It went from one girl to another and luckily went right to her feet. I stayed back in goal, but she was able to put it away.”

This matchup between Rowan and TCNJ was the biggest NJAC game of the year for both teams. Year after year, it’s usually the game that decides the NJAC champion, and it’s one that the players circle on the calendar.

“They are always a good team to go against,” Burke said. “We need to play these types of teams. These are the teams we love to play against. These games are the ones where we feel the most pressure, and we thrive in these games. This is not the outcome we wanted, but I think it will light a fire under us for the tournament.”

If Rowan does play TCNJ again, Burke has confidence in her team.

“We have played them in the past, but every year it feels like they play a new style,” Burke said. “I think having this experience helps us a lot. Quite frankly, I think the goal was more of a mistake as a team rather than their good play. They did not totally break down our defense, and we can take that going into the playoffs.”

Despite the loss, Rowan has secured the No. 2 seed for the NJAC playoffs and will have a first-round bye, facing the winner of the game between the No. 3 and No. 6 seed. All signs point to an NJAC championship rematch between Rowan and TCNJ, this time in Ewing, New Jersey. But right now, Rowan is focused on their first playoff matchup.

“We know how they play, and they know how we play,” Leacott said. “We still have to get past Wednesday. Right now, we’re going to give our team some rest and pick up again at the end of the week. It’s tournament season; anybody can win, and anybody can lose. This was a 1-0 game. We played poorly in the first half and better in the second. But we are still capable of much more.”

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