Josephine Emanuelli
The men’s soccer team is proving themselves to be unstoppable, winning their last two games to extend their winning streak to four and move their record to 7-0-1, just in time to open Landmark Conference play this Saturday.
The Rangers won a close matchup against Manhattanville on September 16, beating the Valiants 2-1. The Rangers took the lead early, when Aidan Cserhat (‘20) scored in the eighth minute of the game, with the assist coming from Max Correa (‘19). They held their opponent off from scoring until half an hour late Drew allowed an own goal to tie the score going into halftime. The game appeared as if it would be going into overtime, but Correa was able to break free and feed the ball to Cserhat who headed the ball into the goal with less than ten minutes left in play for his second goal of the game. Manhattanville attempted to tie the game again in the 88th minute with a corner kick, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
The Rangers then traveled to TCNJ to take on the Lions on Wednesday, September 13. This proved to be the tightest game for the Rangers thus far, as the game went into a double overtime before they were able to secure the victory. Going into halftime, the score was tied at 0-0, and remained that way until the 67th minute, when the Lions scored, giving them the lead. Less than 15 minutes later, Cserhat scored to tie the game. This was his 10th goal of the season and he currently leads the Landmark Conference for goals scored this season. The Rangers were unable to break the tie in regulation, and despite several attempts earlier on, it was not until the second overtime when Greg Swenson (‘18) scored to secure the victory for the Rangers.
This is the best start to the season the Rangers have had since their 8-0-0 opening in 2001. The Rangers are being recognized for that as they moved up three places in the United Soccer Coaches Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, they are now ranked seventh. This is the seventh straight week the team has been regionally ranked, this streak began at the end of the last season. The Rangers are also ranked first nationally amongst Division III teams for scoring offense (4.43) per game and points per game (12.43). The Rangers are also in the top five for shots per game, total points, total assists as well as assists per game.
The Rangers will look to continue their winning streak as they open conference play against Elizabethtown College on Saturday, September 23 at 4pm at Ranger Stadium.
