NEWARK, NJ…Sophomore midfielder COURTNEY McGREGOR (Irvington, NJ/Frank H. Morrell Campus) scored twice to double his career goal output, and senior forward ADRIAN RUIZ (Fairview, NJ/Dickinson) notched a goal and two assists to move into fourth place in school history in scoring, as NJCU scored three unanswered goals and defeated Rutgers University-Newark, 4-1, at Alumni Field.
NJCU ended a two-game losing skid and improved to 8-4 overall with the victory, while the Scarlet Raiders dropped to 4-8 with the loss. NJCU has won the last seven meetings between the schools—all since Kevin East became NJCU head coach in 1998. NJCU also leads the series, which began in 1974, 16-14-1.
McGregor, who entered the game as a reserve at 41:00 of the first half, and had just two goals in his career, doubled that with his output in this victory.
Junior midfielder OMAR ALI (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) gave NJCU a 1-0 lead at 17:07 of the first half when he blasted a 22-yard free kick over the defensive wall and off the fingertips of the Newark keeper into the left corner for his second goal of the season.
Freshman midfielder Joe Caamano (Linden, NJ/Linden) tied the game less than three minutes later when he was awarded a penalty kick at 19:53 after being fouled just inside the top of the box. It was his sixth goal of the year.
However a timely substitution by Kevin East paid off when McGregor tracked down a long throw-in by Ruiz in the box and blasted a one-timer with his right foot, for what proved to be the game-winner at 43:30. The southpaw’s second goal of the year and third of his career came just 2:30 after being subbed into the contest.
The McGregor-Ruiz tandem added to the lead at 49:42 of the second half—just 6:12 after connecting on the go-ahead score. Ruiz chipped a pass off a Newark defender, which McGregor netted for a 3-1 lead and his third goal of the season.
Ruiz capped the scoring with an unassisted highlight-reel quality goal at 67:44. He stole a ball from the R-N defense, and then rifled a 25-yard shot that bent in mid-air over a leaping keeper and into the upper left-hand corner. It was his fourth goal of the year, his fourth point of the game, and his 12th overall point on the season. Ruiz now has 58 career points, and is in sole possession of fourth place on NJCU’s career scoring list. He needs two points to gain third place in school history by himself.
NJCU senior goalkeeper BABA GUISSE (Jersey City, NJ/Lycee Eugene Delacroix, France) made one save and was only beaten by the penalty kick to earn the win. Senior goalkeeper Carmine Cambareri (Cliffside Park, NJ/ Fort Lee) made three saves for the Scarlet Raiders. NJCU outshot the Raiders, 16-11, including a 10-3 edge in the second half. NJCU led 2-1 at the break, despite being outshot at that point in the game, 8-6.
NJCU returns to action on Friday, October 8 at 7pm when it travels to Selinsgrove, PA to face Susquehanna University. The Crusaders are 8-3 overall.
