2025 NJAC Men's Soccer Championship Central | Bracket
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EWING, NJ --- TCNJ overwhelmed Rutgers-Camden with an offensive barrage, cruising to a 5-1 victory in their men's soccer quarterfinal on November 1, 2025, at Lions Stadium.
 
The Lions (11-4-5) wasted no time, with Matias Hornos scoring just 16 seconds into the match to set the tone. Matt Will extended the lead in the 20th minute, converting assists from Manny Thacher and Aiden Grund to give TCNJ a commanding 2-0 halftime advantage.
 
Rutgers-Camden (7-9-4) briefly threatened a comeback when Dylan Pino pulled one back in the 55th minute off an assist from Willyam Veiga, cutting the deficit to 2-1. However, TCNJ quickly extinguished any hopes of a Scarlet Raptor rally.
 
Massimo Rodio restored the two-goal cushion just four minutes later in the 59th minute with an assist from Chris Meder. Aidan Ayar added a fourth goal in the 68th minute, assisted by Meder and J.J. Zaun, before Nathan Lipton capped the scoring in the 87th minute off a feed from Julien DeLorenzo.
 
Despite being outshot 31-12, TCNJ made their opportunities count, putting seven of their 12 shots on target compared to eight of 31 for Rutgers-Camden. TCNJ goalkeeper Sean Najdzinowicz was busy throughout, making six saves to secure the victory.
 
Chris Meder recorded two assists without attempting a shot. Will led the Lions with four shots – three on target, while scoring once.
 
Rutgers-Camden dominated possession in many statistical categories, earning nine corner kicks to TCNJ's two and attempting nearly three times as many shots. Nik Grello led all players with seven shots for the Scarlet Raptors, while Pino and Tommy Monaghan each added six and five attempts respectively.
 
The victory marks TCNJ's first playoff win since 2016 and sends the Lions to Tuesday's semifinal at top-seeded Montclair State.