By: Denny Quinteros | Publish Date: September 29, 2026
The Kean University Men’s Soccer team won a 2‑1 game against Saint Thomas on Sunday, September 27. A late goal by freshman Allan Plama Romero in the 87th minute gave the Cougars a decisive advantage. That goal was the reason the Cougars secured the victory.
“Honestly, the only thing on my mind was that I wanted us to win. We had been fighting for every ball since the first minute, and after everything we put into the game, I didn’t want our effort to go to waste,” Romero said. “All I was thinking about was trying to get myself in a position where I could get an opportunity to score, and when I saw it coming, I knew I had to make it count. Seeing the ball go in and knowing it put us ahead that late in the game was an amazing feeling, especially because of how hard everyone had worked. I knew that we deserved that win and nothing less.”
The game stayed tight in the first half, with Kean getting the first lead in the 54th minute. Sophomore Thomas Cortes scored to put the Cougars ahead 1-0. Saint Thomas came back strong in the half.
They kept pushing against Kean trying to find a way to get back into the game. Their efforts paid off when Dillon Trimble scored in the 79th minute. That goal brought the score to 1-1, making the final part of the match very tense. Both teams were now looking for a chance to take the lead. The game hung in the balance.
With the game tied and only minutes left Kean found the breakthrough it needed. Romero scored in the minute to put the Cougars ahead 2-1. That late goal gave Kean the advantage with a few minutes remaining. It put the team in position to close out the victory.
“It feels good to support my team with a goal, especially when the game got very intense towards the end,” Cortes said. “It was important that team showed resilience and unity.”
Kean kept its lead in the minutes and won the game 2-1. The win mattered a lot to the Cougars because they’ve had a stretch without a victory. Kean has now won twice in its eight matches, giving the Cougars a good result as Kean gets ready for conference play.
“During this whole season there have been games where we had struggled to find our play style,” Cortes said. “However, in this game we were able to have that confidence again and show what we made for.”
The Cougars had been looking for another win since their season opening win over Saint Elizabeth. The outcome against Saint Thomas ends the winless streak and will give Kean a chance to start building momentum from the win. Per Cortes, the win will give the team “confidence and energy heading towards the start of the NJAC.”
“After they got the equalizer, we didn’t let our heads drop,” Romero said. “We knew that we deserved to win after the work everyone put in throughout the entire game. Everyone did their job until the end. When it finally came, it was a really special moment for me, but more importantly, we got the result we wanted, and we’re hoping to keep this going.”
Kean will now turn its attention to its NJAC opener against Ramapo College. The Cougars will travel to Ramapo on September 30 for the conference matchup looking to carry the momentum from their 2-1 victory into the start of NJAC play.
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