(Central New Jersey) May 18, 2024 — Real Central NJ (RCNJ) fell to Philadelphia Lone Star FC (PLS) 4-0 Saturday in their season opener at Widener University, a game that was not as close as they had hoped. RCNJ seemed unable to put the ball in the net, and those scoring troubles haunted them throughout the game.
“I thought we had plenty of opportunities,” said RCNJ Head Coach Brian Woods postgame. “We just didn't put the ball in the back of the net.”
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
PLS﹘13th minute: Scored from inside the box off a deflection from an RCNJ defender. RCNJ 0, PLS 1
PLS﹘Daniel O’Sullivan 41st minute: O’Sullivan slotted a low shot past the keeper, Lukas Burns, from an impressive backheel from Aboubacar Camara. RCNJ 0, PLS 2
PLS﹘Alexander Tarway 63rd minute: Tarway scores on a counter-attack from an RCNJ freekick. RCNJ 0, PLS 3
PLS﹘Amadou Kamagate 80th minute: Kamagate scores another goal off a counter-attack in a two-on-one situation for Burns. RCNJ 0, PLS 4
The game was back-and-forth early; however, Lone Star FC struck first, scoring off a deflection in the thirteenth minute. The opportunity came from a rebounded corner left wide. Lone Star FC got a foot to the ball in a crowd of defensive players, and the shot was deflected off of an RCNJ defender, catching keeper Lukas Burns off guard for the game's first goal.
In the thirty-second minute, Real Central NJ attempted to even the score with a long ball down the line from the backfield. It reached Conlan Paventi; he dribbled into the box and ripped a shot low, but Lone Star FC keeper Flannan Riley saved it.
Lone Star FC got their second goal in the forty-first minute, coming from a counter-attack. In a quick exchange of events, a Lone Star midfielder played the ball up to Aboubacar Camara at the top of the penalty area, who delivered a backheel to Daniel O’Sullivan to go up two just before half.
RCNJ came out with intensity as they had the first two shots on goal of the half. The first came from a header off a set-piece corner from Stephen Duncan that was wide in the fiftieth. The second came as Curt Calov took a shot just wide from the far post in the sixtieth.
It felt like the tone was shifting until Lone Star FC’s Alexander Tarway scored in the sixty-fifth off another counter-attack, beating the single-back defender off a free-kick.
Down three, RCNJ continued to push back. In the seventy-sixth minute, Justin Brunow dribbled through the Lone Star’s defensive back and put a shot on target that Riley upsettingly got a hand to. Soon after, in the seventy-ninth minute, Real Central NJ delivered a deep free-kick that the keeper caught. Then again, Riley saved two more shots in the eighty-third and eighty-seventh minutes.
Following Martin Chladek’s shot in the eighty-seventh, Lone Star FC scored yet another off a counter-attack goal from Amadou Kamagate.
Though it was Real Central NJ’s worst loss since July 2021, Coach Woods believes in the direction of the club and is optimistic about the future, “Going into next week, we just have to keep going where we were going,” Coach Woods said. “We were not unhappy with the training sessions. We just have to be better when we step on the field. “
The RCNJ Men play next against Lehigh Valley at home on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Ben Cohen Field at Rider University. Match-day tickets and season passes can be purchased on the Real Central NJ Soccer website.
