WEEK of: OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 2, 2008
Sophomore striker
JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) has been named the NJCU Women's co-Athlete of the Week for the second week in a row, the fourth time this season and the seventh time in her career in a week after she scored six goals with one assist for 13 points in a 1-1 week for
New Jersey City University. She became the all-time leading goal scorer among men or women in NJCU history, and broke a 13-year old New Jersey Athletic Conference record with 32 goals. In two games, she added 16 shots and 10 shots on goal in 180 minutes.
In a season-ending 7-1 win over Penn State Berks on October 30, she scored the first four of the game before finishing with six goals and one assist as NJCU equaled the 1994 team for most victories in a season with nine.
Albuja, who tallied her second six-goal game of the season, scored the first four goals for the Gothic Knights, before adding the sixth and seventh tallies. She finished the 2008 season with 32 goals and five assists for 69 points, breaking the NJAC record of 31 goals by Noelle Meeke of Kean University in 1995. Meeke had 73 points that year.
Now with 56 career goals in 37 games, Albuja shattered the all-time record for men’s or women’s players of 51 by All-American Chris Rosenthal in a three-year span from 2003-05. She also increased her career scoring total to 120 points, 12th all-time in NJAC women’s history and eight shy of the NJCU all-genders mark of 128 by Rosenthal.
Albuja, who finished with 12 of NJCU’s 38 shots, also equaled her own single-game record of six goals set on September 3, 2008 in a 10-1 win against Medgar Evers College, matching the mark originally registered by Carine Carvalheiro against City College of New York on October 13, 2003. The 13 points are third most in single-game school history.
The six goals in one game ties for sixth most in a game in NCAA Division III history and she becomes only the second player in Division III history to score six or more goals in a game twice in a season or career. Katie Pettigrew of Luther College accomplished the feat twice in 2002.
Albuja also recorded her seventh hat trick of the season and 10th of her career while notching her 15th multiple-goal game. She extended her all-time program record to 10 game-winning goals, including six this season.
Albuja put NJCU in front just 1:08 into the game when she stole possession from the defense on the right wing, blasting home a shot from 10 yards. Just over six minutes later she scored the eventual game-winner as she gathered a cross before she one-timed a shot top shelf right down the middle at 7:23.
Albuja made it 3-1 at halftime when she completed her hat trick at 31:56. After receiving a thru ball up the middle from midfield, she split three defenders on the left of the box on her way to the goal, before changing directions with her dribble and fooling the opposing keeper for an easy score.
Barely three minutes into the second half she scored her fourth consecutive goal for the Knights. Albuja finished a breakaway with a rocket from 22 yards inside the left post at 48:12.
Albuja had a chance for a fifth straight goal on a give-and-go play but unselfishly centered the ball back to a teammate for a one-timer at 53:20. It was her fifth assist of the year.
Albuja capped the scoring with two late goals. A thru ball up the middle at 83:17 led to a 1-on-1 breakaway, before ripping a shot inside the left post on a sharp angle. At 88:30 Albuja flipped a short chip inside the upper left post off a cross for her final goal.
In a loss to Montclair State University on October 29, Albuja had four shots, including one on goal.
Albuja leads the NJAC in goals (32), goals per game (1.68), points (69), points per game (3.63), shots (125) and shots per game (6.58), and is tied for the league lead in game-winners (6). Additionally, she is tied for 10th in assists (5, 0.26 per game).
