New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
RECORD BOOK: ALL-TIME OVERTIME RESULTS

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 3-0 early in the second half before Rutgers-Newark scored four times in the second period, twice tying the contest before becoming the first team to defeat NJCU in overtime at home in almost nine years, as the Scarlet Raiders stunned the Gothic Knights, 5-4 in double overtime in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's soccer game on October 10 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
In a wild second half, the two sides combined for four goals in a span of 10:28, with R-N scoring three times in 9:29 before senior midfielder NANA KOFI KUSI (Newark, NJ/Kumasi Academy (Ghana) put NJCU ahead 4-3 just 59 seconds after the Scarlet Raiders had tied it the first time at 3-3. R-N outshot NJCU, 27-24 in the contest, including 6-5 in the two overtimes.
.
NJCU (10-5, 2-3 NJAC) had its four-game winning streak snapped and lost an overtime contest at home for the first time since October 25, 2003 (2-1 vs. Rowan University, 1 OT). The loss was NJCU's first in overtime at any venue since October 23, 2010 (4-3 at The College of New Jersey). All five of NJCU's losses this season have come by one goal margins.
 
Rutgers-Newark won its fifth consecutive game, improving to 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the league. The Raiders lead the all-time series, 19-17-2 (NJCU is 10-4-1 in last 15 meetings). R-N has won the last four meetings between the clubs.
 
On a weather day that matched the outcome of the game, the squads played on a damp field from recent rains and under gusty wind conditions blowing in off of Newark Bay. In all, seven of the nine goals in the contest were netted in the north east goal which faces south west into the sun.
 
Sophomore forward Patryk Dawidczyk (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) scored the second game-tying goal in the 83^rd minute before banging in the golden goal winner with 2:09 remaining in double overtime.
 
Junior central defender MOHAMED CONTEH (Trenton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North), senior center midfielder EDUARDO TEJADA (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington), sophomore forward RAPHAEL ARAUJO (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield) and Kofi Kusi each scored single goals for the Knights.
 
Freshman center midfielder ALEC METSCH (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), this week's NJAC Rookie of the Week collected his sixth assist of the season—the fifth off a throw-in—and Tejada added his NJAC-leading 10th assist of the season for a three-point contest. Sophomore MARCO AVELLA (Union, NJ/Union) added his third assist of the season.
 
Senior midfielder GABRIEL AVANS (Roselle Park, NJ/Union Catholic), who played his first three seasons at NJCU (2009-11) before transferring to Newark, scored two unassisted goals—his fifth and sixth of the season—to account for the second and third R-N goals during the second half comeback. Senior midfielder William Munoz (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) scored the first of four second half markers for the guests.
 
Sophomore midfielder Ardian Djeka (Ridgefield, NJ/Ridgefield), sophomore forward Edgar Abreu (Newark, NJ/Science Park) and senior midfielder Nick Kyprianou (Morganville, NJ/Marlboro) each assisted the other three R-N goals, with Kyprianou's corner kick leading to the winning goal.
 
NJCU junior goalkeeper SHELDON PARKINSON (New Rochelle, NY/Herbert H. Lehman (Bronx, NY) made 12 saves, including a pair of spectacular stops in the second overtime period. R-N rookie keeper Matt Broomall (Somers Point, NJ/Mainland Regional) stopped four shots. R-N put 18 of its 27 shots on goal.
 
NJCU struck first as Metsch and Conteh, two of NJCU's top newcomers, teamed for an impressive goal at the 17:16 mark. Metsch fired a line-drive throw from the right sideline to the 6-foot-3 Conteh in the center of the goalmouth. He used his considerable size to outleap several R-N defenders before lobbing a header over a leaping Broomall and under the crossbar, for his second goal of the season.
 
NJCU added to its lead at the 31:58 mark. Avella was able to keep a ball in play along the right endline, won possession from a R-N defender, and sent a pass to Tejada on the far right side of the box where he blasted a shot from 12 yards into the left side of the goal for his ninth goal of the season. NJCU led 2-0 at halftime with the Raiders owning a slim 7-6 shots advantage.
 
Just over five minutes into the second half, Araujo, who had not scored since September 17 and was only playing for the third time in NJCU's last eight games, primarily due to an injury, put the hosts ahead, 3-0, by following a rebound. Araujo had entered the game as the NJAC leader in goals and points, despite the missed time, thanks to a 27-point month of September.
 
Tejada began the scoring chance when he slipped a breakaway pass from midfield to a cutting Lopes, who banged his opportunity off the right post. The carom found Araujo on the left side of the box and he tapped home the rebound for his 14^th goal of the season at the 50:02 mark.
 
But the drama had just begun. R-N got on the board at the 55:56 mark as Djeka fooled a defender, slipping a pass to a wide open Munoz in the middle of the box, who rifled a shot past a midair-diving Parkinson for his third goal of the season.
 
Just 1:44 later, R-N made it a one-goal game as Avans bent a free kick after a foul from just outside the top of the box into the top left corner.
 
Avans wasn't done scoring against his old club. With 65:25 left, sophomore defender EDWIN UMANZOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) was unable to clear the ball while standing five yards in front of his own right post. Avans slid, feet first, and poked the ball into the net, tying the game at 3-3. 
Kofi Kusi countered just 59 seconds later as he dribbled up the left wing before unleashing a shot from 15 yards out, burying the go-ahead goal inside the left post for a 4-3 cushion. His sixth goal of the season came at the 66:24 point.
 
NJCU had several good opportunities to add another insurance marker but couldn't finish and the Raiders would get another equalizer. With 7:21 remaining, Abreu won a ball on the left endline and sent a pass to the near left post. Dawidczyk settled the cross and one-timed a close-range shot that snuck inside the left post, tying the contest again, 4-4.
 
After an uneventful first 10 minutes of overtime, R-N had the better chances in the final period. At the 103:33 mark, Avans took a free kick from outside the box and just inside the right sideline that curved in on target, forcing Parkinson to make a leaping tip save. 
The game would end in the 108^th minute. After a defensive giveaway at the top of the box, sophomore midfielder Diego Moraes (Newark, NJ/Science Park) drove towards the left post. His first shot was blocked by a charging Parkinson. Moraes' second chance on the rebound was heading in, before Umanzor retreated, leaving his feet to make a team save before crashing into the goal.
 
R-N was awarded a corner kick, and cashed in as Kyprianou sent a low, line-drive kick from the left endline to Dawidczyk, who was camped out in front of the left post. Receiving the kick, he flicked a shot into the right side of the net at the 107:51 mark, setting off a Scarlet Raider celebration.
 
The loss is a big one for NJCU. With four conference games remaining (Montclair, Rowan, TCNJ, Rutgers University-Camden), the Knights likely will need to at minimum win two of the four to have a chance to qualify for the NJAC Tournament.
 
NJCU, which suffered only its second home loss of the season (5-2), faces a tough road test on Saturday, October 13 at 6 p.m. when it faces #8/8 ranked Montclair State, the #1 ranked team in the NCAA/NSCAA South Atlantic Region, in Montclair, NJ.