Montclair, NJ – Sophomore forward MIKE OLLA and freshman JAKE SEAMAN each scored in the first half helping No. 18 and top-seeded Montclair State to the 2014 New Jersey Athletic Conference championship on Friday evening with a 3-1 victory over Rutgers-Camden.

Junior midfielder LUCAS TERCI added a goal as the Red Hawks (17-4) dethroned the three-time defending conference champions Scarlet Raptors while claiming the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. Selections will be announced on Monday, November 10 at 1:30 pm on NCAA.com.

The Red Hawks claimed their 11th conference title and first since 2009 when it won the last of its four straight NJAC championships. MSU also improved to 2-1 in title games versus the Scarlet Raptors having edged Rutgers-Camden 1-0 in the 2008 final. The Scarlet Raptors (13-8-1) won the 2011 championship game, 1-0 in Camden.

Junior midfielder Giuseppe DeLuca (Sicklerville, NJ / Timber Creek) scored a goal for Rutgers-Camden, which had its five-match unbeaten streak snapped with its first loss since October 18, a 5-2 setback against Montclair State at MSU Soccer Park.

An early save by Montclair's MICHAEL GONZALEZ kept the game scoreless and the Red Hawks caught a tough break as a shot by MAXX WURZBURGER at 10:08 hit off the near post. MSU would get another great defensive play blocking away a close shot by Brad Maine (Cherry Hill, NJ / Camden Catholic) at the 18:37 mark.

The Red Hawks then turned that play back the other way as NJAC Rookie of the Year KYLE GOODWIN dribbled a ball up the left sideline before sending it forward to Olla who drove in on the left side. Raptor keeper Sean Matias (Vineland, NJ / Millville) got a piece of Olla's final touch however the ball got past him and, after a leap over Matias, Olla tapped the ball into the open net for the game's first goal at 19:15.

Gonzalez came up with a second save on a diving stop to his right five minutes later and MSU blocked two more Rutgers-Camden shots to maintain its one-goal lead.

Gonzalez added a third save in the 38^th minute before Montclair extended its lead on Seaman's third goal of the season at 38:59. After a failed clear stayed inside the box, JOHN STARNER was able to move the ball through the crowd to Seaman, who fired a shot inside the left post giving MSU 2-0 lead it would take into the break.

A foul by Rutgers-Camden 86 seconds into the second half played an important role in MSU's third goal. Wurzburger took a free kick 10 yards inside the midfield line. He launched the kick deep into the box for a leaping Terci, who flicked a header into the middle of the net for his team-leading 14 goal of the season and a 3-0 Montclair lead at
46:32.

From there the two teams battled one another for the next 23 minutes until Rutgers-Camden finally got on the board with 20:41 to play on DeLuca's first goal of the season, a give-and-go with Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ / Cherokee) that ended with DeLuca depositing the ball into the upper right part of the net bringing the Scarlet Raptors within 3-1.

Rutgers-Camden used the momentum of that goal and generated several more chances over the next eight minutes however each time the Red Hawks came up with a stop of the Raptors' shot went wide, including one by Ryan with 9:19 to play.

Gonzalez came up with four saves for Montclair State while Matias had three for the Scarlet Raptors. The Red Hawks outshot Rutgers-Camden 19-12 and also held an edge in corner kicks, 8-7.