MULLICA HILL, N.J. — The women’s soccer team at Rowan College South Jersey – Gloucester has been through plenty of stress this season. Many of the team’s members were impacted by the EF3 tornado that struck the Mullica Hill area following Hurricane Ida on Sept. 1.

Many of the team’s members were devastated by the tornado. Many of their homes were substantially damaged. Some of their vehicles were also damaged or destroyed.

But the Roadrunners were motivated following the tornado, as it helped the players get together and bond as a unit.

“I feel we’re a lot more open with each other,” Coach Megan Ruttler told NJ.com.

The Roadrunners have hopes to go far in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament once again. The team reached the tournament for the eighth time in the twelve years that Ruttler has been its coach.

The Roadrunners ended the regular season with an 11-2 record. The club won all of their home matches. The team also defeated Union Community College 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 29 as part of the Region 19 Tournament. This match was the Roadrunners’ second victory over Union, as they also had a 1-0 win against them on Oct. 18.

The club has scored 57 goals, good for about four goals per game. The team’s most dominant victory was a 10-0 win over Bergen Community College on Oct. 9. Seven players scored goals during that game, with Crystal Johnson, Bailey Swietanski and Ella Van Dine scoring two goals each. Melina Towlen also had five assists and a goal.

One of the team’s more dramatic victories this year came on Sept. 24 in a match with Mercer County Community College. Swietanski scored a goal with one minute remaining in the second half before injury time to give the Roadrunners a 2-1 victory over the Vikings.

Swietanski leads the Roadrunners with 15 goals, while Johnson has 11. Miranda Uzdavines has nine assists, while Towlen has 13 assists. Grace Vit has four shutouts and a 1.34 GAA in 1,008 minutes of playing time.

Ruttler remarks that the global pandemic had caused the team members to be a little too separate from one another. The group’s team-bonding party was one day before the first match of the season. But as Ruttler says, the team feels their best and is ready to take on the rest of the junior college field.

“If someone is having a problem, whether it’s with soccer or at home, we’re all there to help each day,” she said.

The Roadrunners’ next game will be on Nov. 11. The team will aim to advance in the postseason in their match against Mohawk Valley Community College. The Hawks will be hosting the game at their home field in Utica, New York.

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