2025 NJAC Men's Soccer Championship Central | Bracket
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GALLOWAY, NJ --- Christian McGillen scored the lone goal in the 60th minute to lift Rowan University to a 1-0 victory over Stockton University in the NJAC Men's Soccer Championship semifinal on November 5, 2025, at G. Larry James Stadium before 458 spectators.
McGillen broke the scoreless deadlock with a right-footed strike that beat goalkeeper Kyle Birmingham, assisted by Davide Caputo. The goal came after a tightly contested first half that ended 0-0.
Despite being outshot 16-10, Rowan (15-3-4) made the most of its opportunities and relied on stellar goalkeeping from Travis Holiday to secure the victory. Holiday made four crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet for the Profs.
Stockton (10-6-5) controlled much of the possession and created more scoring chances, particularly in the first half when the Ospreys held a 10-4 shot advantage. Aiden Hoenisch led Stockton's attack with four shots, one on goal, while Ernst Louisius, Joseph Carbone, William Lynch, and Dawson Joseph each contributed two attempts.
Birmingham kept Stockton in the match with seven saves, including several difficult stops on Johnny Troiano, who led all players with six shots and five on target. Troiano was relentless in the attack for Rowan but was repeatedly denied by Birmingham's strong performance in goal.
Rowan held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks, with four coming in the second half as the Profs pressed for an insurance goal late in the match.
The victory sets up a championship matchup between Rowan and fourth-seeded TCNJ, who pulled off a stunning 4-1 upset over top-seeded Montclair State in the other semifinal. The championship game will be played in Glassboro on Saturday, November 8, at 7:30 p.m.