October 31, 2018 The Signal page 21
Sports
Win / Team hopes to finish season strong Football
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Guckin receives a pass that leads to the Lions’ first touchdown of the game.
continued from page 24
William Paterson found a little bit of success on its third drive, but after trying a fake punt that was blown up in the backfield, the Lions were set up in great field position to score again. Jachera again used his legs to get the Lions down to the goal line, trucking and plowing through defenders. Pacini punched it in though on a five-yard run up the middle.
“Pacini is a workhorse,” Goff said. “He’s a real bright spot to watch play.” Pacini carried the ball a total of 27 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. But it was Jahera who stole the show on offense for the Lions, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown while also passing for 81 yards and another touchdown. “The kid is special,” Goff said. “He is flat out a lot of fun to watch. He brings something different to the
Field Hockey
position to where we know if the pass isn’t there, he can tuck and go. He’s continuing to mature. I think he got a lot of maturity this week considering he had a rough go last week. For him to bounce back this week showed a lot.” Despite his optimism, Goff hesitated to definitively say that he has found his man in Jachera to stand behind center. “He is the guy we are going with right now,” Goff said. “He just had a phenomenal football game. So I’d say he’s our man right now.” The Lions repeatedly dropped the hammer on William Paterson’s defense. Sophomore defensive back Jalen Harmon had two interceptions that ended William Paterson’s drives. He also had 59 yards in interception returns. Senior defensive linebacker and captain Max Busca also contributed to the Lions’ cause with a bone crushing sack, a clutch pass deflection and two tackles for losses. Freshman kicker Alex DeLeo also made his mark on the game, kicking the Lions’ first field goal of the year in the third quarter to put the Lions up by 10. In the fourth quarter, the Lions’ defense gave up a lot of ground to the William Paterson offense, which was trying to mount a comeback and capture its first win of the year. Time and time again, the defense seemed to fold, but stepped up in the red zone to keep them off the board. “I’m still a little pissed at the defense for that last drive,” Goff said. “But to come back and knock that ball down in the end was big.” The Lions return home to acknowledge the seniors on senior night on Saturday, Nov. 3, for a game against Christopher Newport University.
Men’s Soccer
Field hockey continues winning-streak Lions top Rowan on senior night
Padilla assists with two goals for the team. By Kieran Nashad Correspondent
The field hockey team celebrated homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 27 with a 4-1 victory over Stockton University on a wet and rainy night. Prior to the game, the team honored its graduating seniors, midfielder/defender Sidney Padilla and defender Jackie Schwartz. Roughly five minutes in, sophomore forward Tori Tiefenthaler gave the Lions the lead after deflecting a shot taken by Padilla. From then on, both teams displayed brilliant athleticism as the Lions looked to further their lead and Stockton hoped to level the score. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, junior forward Tori Hannah doubled the lead with another shot from a corner with assists from both Padilla and Tiefenthaler. Tiefenthaler scored her final goal of the night, resulting in a three-goal lead for the Lions going into halftime. With just under 29 minutes left in the sec-
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ond half, sophomore midfielder Samantha Reed charged down the right side of the field and passed the ball back infield where junior forward Cayla Andrews fired a shot into Stockton’s goal to give the Lions a 4-0 lead. There were just a little more than 10 minutes left in the game when Stockton forward Sarah Fisher scored a goal that briefly boosted Stockton’s momentum. Its sole goal was short-lived, and it proved to be a mere consolation as the Lions controlled the final minutes of the game. The game was a dominant display by the Lions, who outshot Stockton 16-3 with 11 shots on goal. This win brings the Lions to 13-3 for the season and to 4-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, where they are currently seeded at third behind 5-1 Montclair State and an undefeated Rowan University in first. The Lions are currently on a threegame winning-streak which they hope to continue in an away game against Montclair State University on Wednesday, Oct. 31 in the first round of the NJAC Field
Sample plays his final game as a Lion.
By Jordan Washington Correspondent
In an emotional final game of the season, the Lions took down New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Rowan University 1-0 in Lion’s Stadium on Oct. 24. Many fans were in the stands to support both teams — a total of 277 loyal soccer fans braved the poor weather to watch the rivals go head-to-head. Both teams did not disappoint as they worked hard for 90 minutes, giving all they had from the beginning of the game. On an eventful senior night, senior midfielders Joerg Jauk and Nick Sample were honored as they took charge in their last game as Lions. Jauk put the team on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute on a penalty kick. Sample was fouled in the box, leading to a goal. Jauk recorded himself a perfect record of 5-5 for penalty kicks in his career. Though the start of the first half the game went back and forth, Jauk’s goal proved to
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be enough to put the Lions ahead. Rowan sent out seven first half shots, but they could not find the back of the net. In the second half, Rowan attempted to find the equalizer by ripping off 10 shots, but the Lions’ staunch defense held true as they held onto the win. Despite the win, the College was outshot 17-8, and sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Mecadon had a busy night with seven saves. The Lions only had one shot on goal — the goal that won them the game. After breaking their two-game losing streak, the Lions ended their season with an overall record of 10-6-2. The Lions had a promising start to the season with an astonishing 7-0; however, they went on a four game losing-streak in the middle of the season that hurt their chances of moving on to postseason play. It was a hard fought knock-down NJAC game, as Rowan built up a total of 15 fouls. With five offside infractions, Rowan may have missed out on many chances to score and take the win.