Montclair, NJ – Senior back Shane Dooley (Burlington Township, NJ / Burlington Township) and sophomore midfielder Shane Kohler (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) scored first half goals as fifth-seeded Rowan University upset top-seeded and fifth-ranked Montclair State 2-1 in the semifinals of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament at MSU Soccer Park on Friday evening.

The Profs (12-7-2) continued their late-season surge winning their sixth straight and now advance to the conference championship game for the first time since 2009 where they will face second-seeded and defending champion Rutgers-Camden, a 3-1 winner over No. 3 seed Rutgers-Newark, on Saturday, November 3 in Camden, NJ at 7:00 pm. Rowan fell to the Scarlet Raptors, 2-1 in overtime in their September 19 meeting.

Rowan, which avenged a loss to MSU by the same score in Montclair on September 12, will be seeking its 14th NJAC title overall and first since the 2003 campaign. The winner of the NJAC Tournament receives and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

Sophomore Jesse Shea (Marlton, NJ, Cherokee) had a goal for Montclair State which had its 11-match win streak halted as the Red Hawks lost for the first time since September 19. MSU will now wait for the NCAA Division III selections which will be announced on Monday, November 5 at 1:00 pm on NCAA.com.

Montclair State (17-2) was ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA South Atlantic Region rankings.

The Profs struck first, scoring just past the 10-minute mark of the contest. Senior Ryan Gordon (Cherry Hill, NJ / Cherry Hill West) collected a rebound off a free kick and slid a pass to the middle which Dooley knocked in from six yards out as Rowan led 1-0 at the 10:20 mark.

Rowan added to that lead at 31:55 of the period as Gordon again assisted on the goal this time to Kohler who took the lead pass and fired a shot into the lower left corner for the two-goal lead.

MSU, which outshot Rowan in the game 31-7, kept battling and cut the lead in half with 34 seconds to go in the first half on Shea's goal. Sophomore Brian Cullen (Clementon, NJ, Highland Regional) made a pass from the right wing to Shea who made a back heel kick past Profs keeper Michael Fanz-Huster (Waterford, NJ / Hammonton) to make the score 2-1.

That would be as close as MSU would get as Rowan, which did not register a shot in the second half, withstood a barrage of shots by the Red Hawks in the second half, including three stopped by Fanz-Huster, who ended the match with seven saves.

MSU outshot Rowan 20-0 in the second half and also out-corner kicked the Profs, 7-6.

Sophomore Kevin Lynch (Cinnaminson, NJ, Cinnaminson) made four saves for Montclair State.