WEEK of: SEPTEMBER 8-14, 2008
Five games into the 2008 season, sophomore striker #JENNIFER ALBUJA# (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) is on pace to shatter the NCAA Division III single-season record of 2.17 goals per game and for the fifth time in her career and second week in a row, she is the NJCU Women's Athlete of the Week.
In a 2-0 week for NJCU, Albuja became the all-time leading goal scorer in program history, and increased that total to 40 goals in 23 career games as she scored seven goals for 14 points in just 132 minutes of action. She uncorked 24 shots, including 16 on goal. The Gothic Knights improve to 5-0-0 overall for the first time in its history. She registered her third and fourth hat trick of the season and seventh in her sensational career, while notching her 11th and 12th career multiple-goal efforts.
In NJCU’s 5-1 win at SUNY-Purchase on September 11, she notched her third hat trick in four games this season, for the 34th, 35th and 36th goals of her career in just her 22nd game, and became the all-time leading goal scorer in the 16-year history of the program. Albuja scored the first, second and fourth goals of the game and by doing so, broke the career program record of 33 goals set by current assistant coach KATIE FEEHAN (Manasquan, NJ) in a four-year career from 2004-07. Albuja also broke Feehan’s school record with her seventh game-winning goal.
Albuja, who entered the game tied with Feehan with 33 career goals, broke the record just 4:58 into the contest. After she received a cross from the right side, Albuja fired a shot that was initially saved by the Panthers, before she immediately knocked in the rebound, for her record 34th tally.
Albuja added a second goal at 18:55 when she fired in a thru ball from inside the box a 2-0 lead. Albuja’s third goal of the game was perhaps the nicest. At 57:04, NJCU aired out a free kick from 50 yards away, right to Albuja, who turned and fired—all in one motion—for a 4-0 lead.
In a 6-1 win over Medgar Evers College on September 13, Albuja scored four more goals to give her 16 in five games this season and 40 in 23 career contests, and NJCU equaled the single-game school record with 51 shots as the Gothic Knights remained undefeated and kept the best start to a season in program history alive.
Albuja scored the first, third, fourth and fifth goals for NJCU before leaving the game. Albuja alone had 15 of NJCU’s 51 shots—including eight on goal. It was the third time in her career and second game this season, in which she has attempted at least 15 shots, and was one shy of matching her own single-game school record.
Now with 40 career goals, she trails only former men’s All-American Chris Rosenthal who scored 51 goals from 2003-05, for most among a men’s or women’s player in school history. Albuja increased her career points total to 86 (40 goals, six assists) and needs six more to equal the women’s career record of 92 points set by Feehan.
Trailing 1-0 for nearly 20 minutes, Albuja received a pass in the box which she fired off a defender. She made a move to regain the rebound, before stuffing it inside the left post. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime.
After NJCU took a 2-1 second half lead, from there, the scoring onslaught came quickly as the Knights scored three goals in a span of 1:52, including two by Albuja in 32 seconds.
At 61:44, Albuja scored in on a 1-on-1 breakaway which she finished with a chip inside the left post. Then at 62:16, Albuja netted a beautiful header inside the goalmouth off a cross from the left endline. Albuja capped another brilliant effort with a tally at 71:01 on another 1-on-1 breakaway, knocking a shot inside the right post.
As of September 15, Albuja leads the New Jersey Athletic Conference in every major offensive category: shots (57, 26 more than anyone), shots oer game (11.40, 5.20 per game more than anyone), points (35, +15 lead), points per game (7.00, +3.00 per game lead), goals (16, +7 lead), and goals per game (3.20, +1.40 per game lead). She shared the league lead in goals per game (3). She is also tied for sixth in assists (3), and tied for seventh in assists per game (0.60).
