Video Highlights

WAYNE, N.J. – Despite creating several opportunities throughout the game, the William Paterson men's soccer team (7-2, 1-1 NJAC) came up short to Rowan (8-2, 2-0 NJAC) 2-1 at Pioneer Soccer Park.
 
Three shots rang off the post in the second half and Rowan keeper Erik Checkur made a few great saves during the course of the match to keep the Pioneer offense in check. Sophomore Darwin Cruz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) scored the lone goal for WP off of a penalty kick late in the second half, while classmate Keysean Brant-Sharp (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) led the Pioneers with three shots and senior JP Gonzales (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech), junior Charlie Lizardo (Newark, N.J./East Side), and sophomore Dromo Quaye (North Plainfield, N.J./North Plainfield) tallied two shots apiece.
 
The Profs earned the upper hand just over two minutes into the contest when Nick Schlageter flicked a lobbed ball of a free kick from Jake Connors into the top left corner to put Rowan on top 1-0. In the 11th minute, the Profs broke through the backline and sophomore keeper Kyle Quigley (Columbus, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional) came charging off his line to play the ball and was called for a foul in the box on Profs forward Modou Sowe, leading to a Rowan penalty kick opportunity. Profs defender Will Sjaastad took the impending penalty, but Quigley guessed correctly and used a kick save low on the right side of the goalmouth to keep the deficit at one goal.
 
After back and forth action for the next few minutes, the Pioneers turned up the Pressure for the remainder of the first half, dominating play and creating several excellent opportunities. WP had their best look at goal in the 41st minute when Gonzales ripped a shot from a free kick 20 yards out that forced Checkur to make a sprawling save on the near post to keep the 1-0 margin in tact going into halftime.
 
The momentum continued for WP in the second half, getting another excellent look at goal in the 53rd minute when Lizardo headed a cross off the left post. Moments later Quaye took a through ball behind the back line of the Profs and appeared to have leveled the score when he beat Checkur with the shot, but once again it clanked off the left post and stayed out and the score remained 1-0. In the 77th minute the Pioneers drew a foul just outside the penalty area, but sophomore Cameron Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./Saint John Vianney) again drilled the left post on the free kick and Quaye was unable to put home the rebound on a volley attempt from 10 yards away.
 
With numbers pushed upfield late, the Profs controlled the ball in their own end and sent a ball to Ryan Campbell in the attacking end. Campbell's one-touch pass found Shane Doherty at the top of the penalty area and Doherty sent one low, just inside the left post to double the advantage for Rowan with 11 minutes remaining.
 
WP continued to pressure the Rowan defense, and earned a penalty kick of their own in the 85th minute and Cruz drilled the attempt into the right side of the goal to cut the deficit in half, but it was as close as the Pioneers could get, suffering their first conference loss of the season and ending their current six-game win streak.
 
The Pioneers will attempt to get back on the right foot September 27 when they make the short trip to Ramapo for an NJAC battle beginning at 4:00 p.m.
 
For all of the latest information on the Pioneers, visit http://www.wpupioneers.com and http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia.