Camden, NJ – The #17 Montclair State University men's soccer team clinched the 2025 New Jersey Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship with a 1-1 draw against Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (12-1-5, 5-1-3 NJAC) recorded the first shot of the game with a header from THOMAS PUGLIESE that went wide right in the second minute. Montclair withstood some offensive pressure from Rutgers-Camden over the ensuing minutes, as the home side tallied four shots over the next 16 minutes, with PIERRE SOUMEILLANT notching a save.
• After LOGAN NENO had a shot blocked shortly after, SEBASTIAN LAPCZYNSKI placed a shot on frame that was parried away by Rutgers-Camden. In the 28th minute, Montclair continued to look for the breakthrough marker, as JAKE WINCHOCK rattled a shot on frame that was saved. Neither side recorded a shot on goal the remainder of the half as they went into the break scoreless. 
• Rutgers-Camden opened the second half with a pair of shots that the Montclair defense blocked within the first seven minutes, with NOAH DINNAL recording an attempt on goal shortly after. In the 60th minute, the Scarlet Raptors keeper was shown a yellow card for tripping at the top of the box trying to prevent a breakaway. Lapczynski stepped up for the ensuing penalty kick and chipped a right-footed shot to the left side of frame to break the game open.
• Soumeillant tallied another stop in the 75th minute to preserve the advantage, as JOSH VIRGIL saw an attempt saved by Rutgers-Camden with under five minutes to go with the Red Hawks searching for a second marker. Two minutes later, a handball in the box led to a penalty kick for the home side, which they converted to equalize. The two sides traded shot attempts in the final moments, but the contest ended level at one.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair clinched its 12th NJAC Regular Season Championship over its last 18 seasons and fourth over the past five years.
• The Red Hawks finished the month of October unbeaten, posting a 6-0-3 record and outscoring opponents 25-10.
• Lapczynski notched his fifth goal of the season, the most by a Montclair defender since IAN CHESNEY in 2022. He has recorded a penalty kick in three of his last four games and remains a perfect five-for-five from the spot.
• Soumeillant finished with two saves in goal for the Red Hawks and remained unbeaten for his freshman campaign.
• The Red Hawks held a 14-11 advantage in shots for the night, including a 5-3 edge in shots on goal.

FROM THE FIELD

"I'm proud of this team. It's not easy to win in this league. This is a new group of young guys, and getting this win, and seeing how hard it was, is a great sign for this program moving forward." - Head Coach Todd Tumelty

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will receive a bye in the 2025 New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament as the top seed, and will await the winner of #4 TCNJ versus #5 Rutgers-Camden on Saturday, November 1.