WALTHAM, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Men's Soccer team scored three second-half goals, propelling the Hawks to a 3-1, come-from-behind victory over the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders in first-round NCAA Tournament action at Gordon Field.

Roger Williams, now 16-5-2 overall, will face Brandeis tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Rutgers-Newark got on the board first thanks to the gifted right foot of striker Raphael Araujo (North Plainfield, N.J./North Plainfield). The junior took a cross from classmate Patryk Dawidczyk (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) and calmly one-timed the ball into the top-left corner of the net. It was the 28th goal of the season for Araujo, tying him for second best in all of Division III.

The Scarlet Raiders outshot the Hawks, 13-3, in the first half, and looked in control of the game.

Against the run of play, Roger Williams found a brilliant equalizer in the 57th minute. Sophomore James Sheldon (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) played a tantalizing ball across the face of the net, where senior Daniel Caruso (Tewksbury, Mass./Central Catholic) met the ball and one-timed it home.

With the momentum squarely on their side, the Hawks scored twice more in the next 10 minutes. In the 60th minute, rookie Trevor Sparda (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) knocked home the go-ahead goal. Senior Trevor Hoxsie (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) sliced a shot wide off of a corner kick, but the ball fortunately found Sparda, who finished under Rutgers-Newark sophomore keeper Matt Broomall (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional).

Rutgers-Newark nearly equalized in the 64th, but a shot by junior Diego Moraes (Newark, N.J./Science Park) was cleared off the line by Roger Williams junior Andre Brueckner(W. Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury).

On the ensuing counter-attack, Hoxsie got Roger Williams an insurance goal. The senior co-captain took a long ball from the back and put on a clinic, beating two defenders and touching the ball around the keeper before finishing his team-leading 14th tally of the season.

Rutgers-Newark controlled the ball much of the rest of the way, but a determined Roger Williams defense prevented the Scarlet Raiders from getting back into the contest. Rutgers-Newark's best chance came in the 75th minute, but junior Edgar Abreu (Newark, N.J./Science Park) had his effort cleared off the line on a diving stop by Hawks senior Scott Boucher (Harwington, Conn./Lewis Mills). An 85th-minute header in the 6-yard box by senior defender Jason Chung (Jackson, N.J./Monroe Township) also sailed high, and Rutgers-Newark was unable to threaten again.

The Scarlet Raiders took 17 shots in the second half, outshooting the Hawks 30-9 in the match. Roger Williams senior keeper Jon Pelloso (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) made eight saves in net.

- Release courtesy of the Brandeis University Sports Information Department

- Release courtesy of the Brandeis University Sports Information Department