Rowan men’s soccer got themselves back in the win column on Wednesday evening, defeating the Stockton Ospreys, 1-0, at the Rowan Soccer and Lacrosse Complex. Evan Schlotterbeck’s heroics propelled the Profs to a 9-3-3 record and ended their winless three-game stretch. 

Stockton entered the match atop the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings, with Rowan handing them their first conference loss of the season. The Ospreys returned to Glassboro wanting to avenge last year’s 3-1 defeat, but the Profs took care of business in this highly anticipated NJAC Championship rematch.

“Stockton’s a great team, which actually helps us,” head coach Scott Baker said. “I think we’re better when the level of soccer goes up, so it brings a better brand for us as well. It’s a big win.”

Energized sides were on full display in the first half, with both squads equivalent in performance and taking four shots total. Going into another 45 minutes of play, the Profs realized a different mindset was required for victory to be possible.

“[At the half] we said we got to be more careful with the ball, we got to move the ball quicker, but we got to play soccer,” Baker said. “We got to fly around the field and have fun and play our system.”

Rowan played a more aggressive second half, where they earned all six of their corners and took advantage of the opportunities given. Their moment came in the 88th minute, when Davide Caputo sent an inswinging corner into the box. Stockton’s keeper managed to punch the ball out of the danger zone and into the path of Christian McGillen on the right wing.

Off one bounce, McGillen passed it centrally to Schlotterbeck, who volleyed a one-timer into the bottom right corner to secure a Rowan win at the death. While this was an exciting goal, it was Schlotterbeck’s first, and it could not have come at a better time.

“It’s a lot of pride to wear this uniform and represent Rowan,” Schlotterbeck said. “Getting on the score sheet is really meaningful, but at the end of the day, I’m just really happy to reward the whole team.”

Leading up to the goal, Travis Holiday showed up in big instances, standing strong and providing security to Rowan’s future chances en route to the team’s third clean sheet of the fall. 

“He made the needed saves and we’ve been missing that,” Baker said. 

After consistently being a ranked team over the past month, which included a two-week stretch at No. 2, the Profs trickled out of the nation’s top 25 due to recent results. Rowan seemed to have benefited from this change, allowing for a shift in focus on Wednesday. 

“I think the biggest thing it did was take our mind off it,” Schlotterbeck said. “We were just focused on this game tonight, beating Stockton, just getting the task done that was at hand [and] not worrying about where we were in the rankings.”

Rowan men’s soccer turns its attention to a memorable occasion this Saturday as they will host the No. 20-ranked Montclair State Red Hawks on Senior Night. The Profs will look to continue what they hope is the start of a resurgence with just four regular-season games to go.

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