Rowan men’s soccer managed to draw, 2-2, with No. 20-ranked Montclair State Saturday evening at the Rowan Soccer and Lacrosse Complex. The Profs are now 9-3-4 on the season and 2-2-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), good enough for sixth place in the standings. 

In the match, Rowan recovered from being down a goal at two different instances to tie for the third time in their last four fixtures.

“We fought back and kept ourselves in the game,” head coach Scott Baker said. “Montclair’s a real good team, but we got to beat teams like this if we’re going to go deep into the NCAA tournament.”

Prior to kickoff, seniors on the 2025 Rowan men’s soccer roster were honored, leading to a packed crowd in Glassboro.

“It means the world,” senior Ryan Cleary said. “Getting to see all my guys get out there and seen by everybody [and] have everybody’s families come out … It’s a really nice night.”

The Profs started the festivities, but the Red Hawks struck first in the 16th minute. Montclair’s Kevin Contreras sped past two Rowan defenders on the right wing, sending in a deadly cross. The brown and gold couldn’t clear a loose ball at the far post, which led to a goal right down the middle for a, 1-0, Red Hawks lead.

Rowan would respond just nine minutes later off a Johnny Troiano free kick from the near side. His inswinging cross was headed by Christian McGillen and toward the near post, where Evan Schlotterbeck was there to score for the second consecutive match.

Contreras continued to cause problems for Rowan’s back line, after he beat a multitude of Prof defenders near the second half’s start. Junior captain Greg Ferreira made a costly error, fouling the speedy Red Hawk inside the box and awarding the opposition a penalty that was buried past senior transfer Travis Holiday. 

“I can always do better,” Holiday said. “On that first goal, could have been better, on the penalty, could have been better … so I just got to keep on improving every day.”

The Profs were trialing, 2-1, until they earned a set piece of their own with 65 minutes gone. Spotted atop the far side of the 18 yard box, Cleary stepped up and bent the ball around Montclair’s wall and into the left corner of the netting. That goal was his first goal since Rowan’s season opener in late August.

“I saw how they set up the wall and I knew I was going to have an angle at the goal,” Cleary said. “I just kind of made the most of it.”

In the moments that followed, Luke McNamee scored inside the six, but unfortunately for the Profs, he was called offside. Both sides met an evenly matched conclusion, resulting in a, 2-2, final on homecoming weekend.

While Rowan was not victorious on the field, it was clear they were off of it when recognizing the significance of Senior Night. 

“They’re great people, they’re great players, they’re part of our family,” Baker said. “They’re alumni forever, and I’m so happy they chose Rowan.”

Despite this being his first year as a Prof, Holiday made the most of his special night, making four saves to keep Rowan in the mix throughout the contest.

“When I entered the portal, coach Baker, all the coaches took me in,” Holiday said. “Okay result, but … it was still a great night.”

Now just three games left in the regular season, Rowan men’s soccer will make the trip to Union, New Jersey,. next Wednesday to take on the Kean Cougars.

“We got to take over games,” Baker said. “I think we’re a great team, we showed it at times especially in the beginning of the year, but we’re still that team.”

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