Late Goal Gives Juniata Back-to-Back ECAC Men's Soccer Titles

11/23/2025 3:04:41 PM

NEWARK, N.J. - Juniata College successfully defended its ECAC DIII Men’s Soccer Championship title on Sunday, earning a 2-1 road victory over Rutgers University-Newark in a rematch of last year’s championship match, which the Eagles won 3-1 at home. Juniata, the back-to-back ECAC champion, finished its season 10-5-7 while the Scarlet Raiders ended with a record of 11-9-2.

Both offenses were stifled in the first half. Rutgers-Newark took the first shot of the match in the 11th minute and the first shot on goal in the 14th. The Scarlet Raiders’ Jake Milne was stopped by Eagles’ goalkeeper Maxwell Mattioni. The junior entered the contest tied for 22nd in Division III and second in the Landmark Conference with an .833 save percentage. Mattioni posted a five-save clean sheet against William Patterson in the semifinal round.

Juniata’s first attempt came in the 16th minute, but Jayden Gaynor missed the net high. The Eagles managed just three shots in the opening period, none of which were on goal. Rutgers-Newark totaled five shots and two on goal. They both belonged to Milne, who tried Mattioni again in the 16th minute but had his attempt saved.

The Eagles tallied their first shot on goal of the match and the first of the second half for either team in the 55th minute. Brandon Marzula was stymied by Rutgers-Newark’s Ilan Golden, but Juniata broke through on its second shot on goal in the 63rd.

Gaynor found the bottom right corner of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead, the junior’s team-best seventh goal of the season and his second of the tournament. Gaynor scored the first tally in Juniata’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over McDaniel on Nov. 16.

The Scarlet Raiders’ next shot came 13 minutes later, a Gerson Gonzalez-Quevedo strike that was blocked, but they broke through soon after. Ethan Geronimo deposited a shot into the bottom left corner of the net in the 78th minute, tying the match at 1-1. It was just the freshman’s second career goal. Peter Rios, another freshman, provided the assist, the first of his collegiate career.

Juniata was awarded a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box at the 83:57 mark. Junior Tre Henry took the set piece and forced a save by Golden, but the rebound skipped right to a charging Henry who whacked it into the net from the top of the six-yard box. It was the forward’s third goal of the season and first since Sept. 17.

Mattioni made one more save for the Eagles, in the 89th minute on a shot by Rutgers-Newark’s Erick Cortes, a one-hopper from outside the 18-yard box, his third and final stop of the match.

The Scarlet Raiders outshot the Eagles 13-8, but both teams managed four shots on goal. Rutgers-Newark tallied four corner kicks while Juniata had two.

Eagles’ head coach Brendan Grady added a third ECAC crown to his ledger, along with last year’s title at the helm of the Eagles and the 2007 championship as a player at Swarthmore College.

Juniata’s Gavin Rauhut was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The senior defender scored the Eagles' game-winning goals in two of three ECAC Championship contests. Rauhut posted Juniata’s second tally in its 2-1 victory over McDaniel in the quarterfinals and its only goal in its 1-0 win against William Patterson in the semifinals.

All-Tournament Team
Maxwell Mattioni, Goalkeeper, Juniata
Tre Henry, Forward, Juniata
Jayden Gaynor, Forward, Juniata
Nathan Weick, Midfielder, Juniata
Erick Cortes, Forward, Rutgers-Newark
Ian Brown, Forward, Rutgers-Newark
Dylan Huseinovic, Midfielder, Rutgers-Newark
Matty Escobar, Midfielder, William Patterson
Jimmy Bruno, Defender, William Patterson
George Phillips, Midfielder, Franciscan
Lucas Cross, Forward, Franciscan