FREDONIA, NY…Senior forward JOSE DeBERNARD (Lawrenceville, NJ/Princeton) had a goal and an assist and senior goalkeeper BABA GUISSE (Jersey City, NJ/Lycee Eugene Delacroix, France) made eight saves to notch his 14th career shutout to key a terrific defensive effort as the #19-ranked New Jersey City University men’s soccer team shutout Capital University (OH), 3-0, in the consolation game of the SUNY-Fredonia/Blue Devil Days Inn Classic. It was the first ever meeting between the schools in men’s soccer.
NJCU (4-1-0) finished third in tournament, while Capital (0-5-1) was fourth. Host SUNY-Fredonia and Houghton College tied, 0-0, in the championship game, before Fredonia claimed the tournament title in a shootout.
NJCU led 2-0 at the half before adding a late second half goal to complete the scoring. Capital outshot NJCU, 32-21, but 13 of the Gothic Knights 21 attempts were on goal.
Freshman forward PATRICK THOMAS (Roselle, NJ/Linden) notched the game-winner at 14:01 of the first half with his fifth goal in only four games this year, knocking a one-timer in off a cross from the left wing. DeBernard and sophomore midfielder JUAN VERA (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) each contributed to the goal with a double assist.
DeBernard, who was named to the All-Tournament team one week after earning the same honor at the NJCU/adidas® Liberty Cup, made it a 2-0 lead at 30:27, when he took a feed down the right endline from sophomore midfielder CHRIS PALUMBO (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood), and banked his fourth goal of the year in with a shot in off the inside right post. The assist was the fourth of the season for Palumbo.
Junior CHRIS ROSENTHAL (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) capped the scoring at 85:13 with his fifth goal of the season. In another double-assist situation, junior midfielder JOHAN GONZALEZ (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) found freshman defender SCOTT MODZELEWSKI (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) open to the left of the goal. Modzelewski, who was credited with his first collegiate point, caught the pass with his chest, and chipped it to Rosenthal for an easy goal inside the right post.
Rosenthal, who had his streak of eight consecutive games with a goal snapped when he left Friday’s loss to Houghton with a leg injury, made it nine out of 10 games with a score.
Also named to the All-Tournament team for NJCU was junior defender CAMERON HARTSFIELD (Montclair, NJ/Montclair), who in his first start at stopper, helped limit the Crusaders to just eight shots on goal out of 32 attempts.
Sophomore keeper Trae Manny (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles East) made nine saves. The Crusaders also made one team save at 22:05 when a Vera shot from the left endline destined for the goal, was barely cleared away by the Capital defense.
DeBernard could have had a second goal in the game, but missed a penalty kick just left at 24:34.
NJCU returns to action on Wednesday, September 15 at 7pm in a road contest against rival Richard Stockton College in Pomona, NJ.
